


breathe, darling (your lungs were made for this)

by Little_Lady_Otaku



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, F/M, Female Sawada Tsunayoshi, Sawada Iemitsu Being an Asshole, Sawada Iemitsu's A+ Parenting, Sawada Nana's A+ Parenting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2019-11-02
Packaged: 2020-05-31 04:39:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 24,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19418671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Little_Lady_Otaku/pseuds/Little_Lady_Otaku
Summary: Tsu remember how shiny it was. She reached out and pressed her tiny palms against the lightning.It burns.All laughters died that day. Only her cries of pain echoed through the palace halls.





	1. i

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own KHR
> 
> Credit for title goes to lostcap at Tumblr
> 
> Warnings: typos, grammatical error

Tsu don’t remember that day in great detail.

She remembers being held by her mother as she presented her to everyone in great hall, gods and goddesses however great or minor. Immortals, every single one of them. 

They left their post and gathered here today to attend yet another party. Only this time to honour _her_ _,_ Iemitsu’s firstborn, daughter of the sky god, for this is when her parents, the ruling couple of the heavens, present their child to their court. 

Halfway through the party, Iemitsu produce his lightning bolt. Tsu doesn’t remember what he said, too engrossed with the apple slices in front of her. Her mother Nana turn on her seat so Iemitsu can see Tsu who is seated on her lap. Her father crouch in front of her and present the lightning bolt. 

Tsu remember how shiny it was. She reached out and pressed her tiny palms against the lightning. 

It burns.

All laughters died that day. Only her cries of pain echoed through the palace halls.

* * *

Her parents don’t bring her out again until years later. 

Iemitsu don’t visit her room or come eat with her and Nana for even longer. There was even a time when Tsu don’t see her father for a whole year. 

The lightning bolt burned her so badly that it left its mark on her palms. A set of golden scars shaped like lightning bolts. No amount of magic and medicine can make them go away. Tsu will bear this marks for the rest of her immortal life. Nana’s eyes would water every time she sees her scar, so Tsu bandage her hands. Nana got better later on. She grimace instead of tearing up. Tsu pretend not to notice this.

Of course, Nana couldn’t stay at her side all the time. She is the queen of the gods. Not to mention the patron goddess of marriage, family and childbirth. Nana must perform her duty to her king husband, her subjects and the rest of the realm. 

So to keep herself occupied, Tsu spend her time in her mother’s garden. It’s more of an orchard than a garden, really. Groves of apple trees grow here. They produce the mystical golden apples, one of a kind, Nana told her. Iemitsu gave it to her as a present on their wedding day. 

The apples obviously are not made from actual gold but it was an easy mistake it as one when the fruits give off such lovely sheen. They taste as good as they look like on the outside. The golden apples never rot, so there is no need to discard them. Once picked, a new bloom will emerge. It will take a few days for the fruit to mature. 

“These apples are the reason why we live as long as we did, darling,” Nana told her. “We make ambrosia from the fruits and nectar from their blossoms. We can stay young forever and ever and ever. All thanks to the golden apples.”

“Where do they get their magic from, Mother?” Tsu asked.

Nana shrugged. “They just are.”

That answer is hardly satisfying but Tsu don’t press. Instead she ask how ambrosia and nectar are made.

Nana brought her to the workshop. The place is too humble for someone with Tsu’s status, let alone Nana, but they went anyway. 

The nymphs explained to young goddess the distilling process of nectar, let her take a small taste of a freshly cooked ambrosia and one nymph gifted her a crown of apple blossoms. 

It is easily the loveliest thing she’s ever seen. 

* * *

Tsu have three secrets. 

One, Tsu can talk to birds. 

Doves, to be exact. There are no other kinds of birds in the orchard. The doves entertain her with their pretty songs and bring her news from the outside world. Tsu never once step outside the palace. The orchard is surrounded by walls so high Tsu thought it would touch the sky. 

Tsu have spend so much time with the doves that they will come to her if she whistle a certain tune. Tsu sneaked bread from her breakfast to share it with her feathery friends. 

Two, she has a friend who is not a dove. 

Reborn the sun god passes through the orchard everyday on his burning chariot. He is even older than Iemitsu and Nana. He never once step a foot on the orchard, preferring to stay on his ride. Reborn is always polite with her but Tsu get the sense that he doesn’t think much of her. Which is fair enough. Tsu don’t know what her domain is yet. She never showed up in court save for that one time where she got her scars.

It was also Reborn who told her about that day in detail. And what follows after that.

“Your father mistook your burning as proof that you are not his child,” He said.

“How could he think that?!” Tsu raised her voice in outrage. Mother would scold her if she’s here to witness this but she’s not. “My mother is the goddess of marriage and family! She wouldn’t!”

“He gave her the cold shoulder for awhile,” Reborn continued. “Your mother swore up and down that she is faithful to him. Iemitsu didn’t believe her. He only relented when she brought forward the evidence. He apologised and Nana forgave him at once.”

“He shouldn’t have doubted her from the start,” Tsu says darkly.

“No, he shouldn’t,” Reborn agrees. 

“My father-“ Tsu stopped. She must not say it, _must not think about it._

A daughter must not challenge her father. 

“Your father is wrong,” Reborn said in bored tone. He smirked when her eyes go wide. “The king of the gods is not perfect. There. I said it. Are you going to tell on me?”

Tsu shakes her head. She won’t tell anyone. Not even to her mother. She doesn’t want to see Reborn punished. 

“I can take care of myself, Princess,” His tone switched to almost gentle. “Don’t worry about it.”

“I can’t help it,” Tsu wrung her hands. She never have to hide them around Reborn. “I don’t have anyone else but you. You’re nice.”

The sun god laughed at that. She can’t tell if he’s genuinely humoured or it’s something else altogether. “I can’t remember the last time someone told me that to my face.”

“Are you making fun of me?”

“Believe me, Princess, if I want to make fun of you, you’ll _know_.”

Three, her powers have awakened.

It happened on a hot summer afternoon. Tsu sit underneath her favourite tree- which is also the biggest tree in the orchard coincidentally- working on her flower crown when a flower begins to change shape. Tsu watch in fascination as it morphs to a golden apple. She sought more flowers to see if she can replicate the feat.

She can.

Tsu put _her_ apples in the basket just in time when the nymphs show up.

She decided that she doesn’t want to tell others just yet. The truth will come out eventually but she wants to keep this to herself for a bit longer. She never had a secret before. It made Tsu feel that she has a control for once in her life. 

Tsu practise when she is certain no one is watching. The doves keep a lookout for her mother or Reborn or the nymphs. 

Her apples started out smaller than the ones grown on trees. It took her awhile to practice until her apples are exactly the same size. It’s impossible to tell the difference. After she got bored with the flowers, Tsu slice open an apple and took out its seed. To her excitement, she can turn the seed to a golden apple. It’s fun to watch the process. Did the gods of old felt the same joy when they create this world? 

* * *

When someone did saw Tsu turning a flower to a golden apple, it was her mother. 

Nana told Iemitsu the good news that evening. The very next day, Iemitsu visit the orchard. 

“Show me,” He commanded.

Without saying any word, Tsu pick up a flower. She willed her magic into it. Iemitsu’s eyes grew wider and wider as the flower morphed before him. The flower in her hold is replaced with a perfect, shiny golden apple.

Iemitsu pick it up and bring it close to his face for inspection. Tsu and Nana waited with bated breath. Tsu dug her nails into her palms in anticipation. 

Iemitsu take a bite of the golden apple. The sound makes her wince for some reason.

“Very well,” The king of gods says. 

Nana sigh in relief.

Tsu smiles.

Her scars tingles. 

* * *

Her new dress felt soft under the touch, the colour the same pink that would appear briefly on the sky when day turns to dusk. It’s an appropriate colour for a young girl like her. A wreath of apple blossoms rest on her eyebrows. The nymphs sing her praises as they prep her.

“You look like Her Majesty,” says the nymph who is doing her hair. 

She doesn’t say that Tsu will be the prettiest goddess in the room.She can’t. To claim yourself to be more beautiful than the queen of the gods is courting danger. But that’s okay. For the first time in her life, Tsu feel beautiful. 

“Milady?” One of the nymphs hold up strips of silk, “Would you like to start cover your hands?”

“There is no need for those,” Tsu says with conviction. When the nymphs looked worried, she quickly adds. “The daughter of the king of the gods must not hide. I cannot afford to make myself look weak. Everyone already knows. Let them have their look. Let them turn their head. These scars are part of me.”

For the first time in her life, Tsu feel that she truly is a princess. 

Reborn has a scar on the back of his waist. A memento from the previous war. He never looked ashamed of having it. He sees no need to cover them. Tsu envies him. He didn’t turn away the first time Tsu showed him her bare hands. That’s when she decided that Reborn is her Best Friend Forever.

Iemitsu is undisputedly her father. Tsu is the princess of the heavens. She may be younger, but she is not less than the rest of them. She wants to be unashamed like Reborn.

The door opens. Tsu turn to see her mother enter the room in all her regalia. Nana smiles at her. Tsu about to return her smile when she spots the fabric in her hands.

An undefined feeling struck her in the chest. “What is that, Mother?” Tsu dearly hope her voice doesn’t sound shaky at all.

“Why, it’s your mantle, daughter,” Nana unfurls it in front of everyone. The mantle matches the pink of her dress. It looked long enough to cover her entire upper body. “Tsu, don’t forget to cover your hands.” Nana tsked in disapproval.

“I thought-“ Tsu swallowed. “I thought I won’t need them for tonight.”

“Oh, Tsu. Don’t be silly. Listen to your mother,” Nana pass over the mantle to a nymph. “Why on Earth would you want to show your hands for everyone to see? They are embarrassing!”

_ Embarrassing _

Nana left after giving the nymph a few more instruction. The nymphs looked at each other. 

One of them speaks up, “Milady, we could-“ But she can’t come up with anything. Dare she go against the orders of the queen of the heavens?

“Give me those,” Tsu says in flat tone. “I’ll do it myself.”

She handed her the silks.

No one said anything until a nymph in Nana's service come to fetch her.

* * *

In the great hall of the gods, in front of everyone, Iemitsu declared her the goddess of the golden apples. Tsu now hold responsible for the care of the sacred groves, oversee the production of nectar and ambrosia and be new cupbearer for the gods. 

The audience clapped politely when Tsu demonstrate turning a blossom to a golden apple. She can see from their faces that they are not exactly impressed. Only Reborn give her an encouraging smile from the end of the table, approval in his gaze. 

They handed her a pitcher and told her to get moving. 

Tsu pour the nectar for her father first. The king of the gods don’t even spare her a glance. Seated on the lower dai, Nana stare at the food in front of her. She won’t look at Tsu either.

One of the younger gods, a war god named Mochida, shouted from his seat to tell her to hurry up. The gods and goddesses who share his table laughed.

Iemitsu didn’t comment on it. He is in deep discussion with another god. 

Nana picked at her food. 

_‘I must not cry,’_ Tsu reminded herself as she make rounds. The gods barely look at her as they lift up their cups for her to fill. No greeting or a word of thanks after. 

_ I am the daughter of the king of the gods. I mustn't cry. They will not see my tears.  _

Tsu repeat those words over and over again in her mind like a mantra. 

When she got to the end of the table, Tsu is at her limit. She braced herself when Reborn move.

To her surprise, Reborn stood up, turn around to face her and give her a deep bow. “Congratulations on your appointment, Princess.”

“Are you making fun of me?” It’s a wonder that her voice still doesn’t crack.

Reborn lift up his head. His pupils are shining bright like a pair of suns. “Do you hear or see me laughing?” He asked. Tsu shook her head. Heck, he is no longer smiling. Reborn pat the empty spot next to him. Tsu took his cue and sit down. He gives her a cup. He waits for Tsu to pour hers first before giving him his share of nectar.

“To my little friend, the new goddess of the golden apples,” Reborn raise his cup for a toast. 

Tsu smiles, and lift up her cup to meet his. 

When she looked over the dais once more, she saw Iemitsu watching them with a frown on his face. 

Her palms stings.

* * *

Her days are spent with her tending the groves and workshop, her evenings pouring nectar for the gods. Each night she returns to her room with her head held high and disappointment in her heart. 

Nana refused to look at her for weeks after that banquet. Tsu haven’t seen Iemitsu at all outside the great hall. He never once spoken to her and Tsu is fine with that. 

She will no longer hold onto the dream that Iemitsu will acknowledge her as his daughter. As the true princess of the heavens. Did his resentment to her mother truly run that deep? Does he mistrust her still? Is he still angry at Tsu? For unable to hold the lightning all those years ago? 

The thought of Iemitsu cause her palms to ache, so Tsu decided not to waste time and energy over the mere thought of him.

She has so much work to do. Apples to harvest, nectar to brew, ambrosia to be sent to the kitchens, barrels to be stored, nymphs to consult, and more. Nana have given her total control over the groves. Her mother no longer come over to visit. 

That bothered her, but Tsu will not admit it to anyone anytime soon.

She doesn’t leave the groves or the palace. The world below is a mess, her doves told her. Humans fight against each other over the smallest things. The gods play tricks on mortals for their own amusement. Sometimes they get involved with the petty squabbles.

Princesses are above such things.

Clearly, if they have time to mess with the mortals, these gods aren’t doing their jobs properly. 

_ What about the mortals then? _

If they can be rude to her and got away with it, Tsu wonder how bad it is down there. What if there is a mortal who followed the rules to a T and still got cursed over practically nothing?

If the gods won’t protect the lives they are sworn to protect, what is the worth of an oath then? Why give gods their domain if they are not going to step up to the responsibility in the end?

_ ‘The gods aren’t perfect.’ _

Fear gripped her heart as the thought crystalised. Yet Tsu don’t want to deny it.

* * *

There is a yellow leaf on the ground.

Why is there a yellow leaf here? Where did it come from? Is this a joke?

Tsu bend down to pick up the fallen leaf. Upon a closer inspection, it also have brown on the edges. The leaf feel coarse and flaky under her touch. 

She looks up to see more of these yellow leaves on the tree.

Tsu climb onto the tree to get a better look. 

There aren’t that many yellow leaves but the fact they _existed_ in the first place make her worry. 

This has never happened before. What is going on?

Her first thought is to ask Nana but she stopped. No, Tsu will not tell her. Her mother would think that Tsu have been slacking off when in reality she is anything but. 

Reborn? No, Tsu will not involve her friend in this. She is the _freaking_ goddess of the _freaking_ golden apples. She will take full responsibility. There will be no sick trees under her watch.

A dove landed on the branch she is sitting on, “Milady, the nymphs are coming!”

Tsu scrambled down. 

She is back on the ground just in time for a pair of nymphs enter the groves. 

“Milady, the party will start in less than two hours.”

“I know, I know,” Tsu hurried to the entrance. “Tell everyone not to enter the groves until my say so.”

The nymphs look at each other in confusion but complied. 

It takes all her focus to pretend everything is normal later that night. Tsu didn’t meet anyone in the eye, afraid that they can read her mind and find out. For once, their indifference towards her is welcomed. Tsu couldn’t afford to let her guard down, however. The likes such as Mukuro the trickster god are the ones she must watch out for. 

Tsu take her time to wait until Mukuro got into another quarrel with Kyouya before she fill their cups. Those two always clash whenever they see each other. Mukuro is the direct foil of Kyouya the god of order. It’s only natural for them to be at odds with one another. Tsu have no idea why Kyouya would attend the party when in reality he dislike crowds. Maybe he decided that the opportunity to beat up Mukuro is too good to pass up. Everyone likes a good fight and they never disappoint their audience.

Those two provide the perfect distraction for her to fill everyone’s cups.

Nana barely pay her any attention. Iemitsu even less. Meaning, none at all. 

Which is fine by her.

Getting attention from her parents is the last thing she needed right now. 

Tsu quietly slip away. A task made easier thanks to Kyouya and Mukuro. She hurried to her room. She changed her formal wear to a plain dress with shortened length to allow her more freedom in movement. The groves is practically deserted when she got there. Not even a single dove is spotted. 

She ran her hand over the bark of the sick tree. Nothing seems to be wrong with it. The flowers are in good shape so the sickness haven’t got to them yet. That leaves the roots. 

Tsu take up the spade and start digging. 

To her horror, the roots have rot on them. She takes out her dagger to remove the rot. 

Only there is one problem.

The more she dug, the more rot she found.

There seems to be no end of the roots. Tsu’s digging doesn’t cease even when her hands bleed and skin crack.

She didn’t even notice it’s already daylight when Reborn grab her on the shoulder. He climbed down the hole she dug. 

“Tsu,” He takes in her dirt covered form. “What happened?”

“Reborn,” This time, her voice cracks. “This tree is sick. I spent all night removing the rot but there are so many of them!” She showed him a root. It is covered with ghastly black fungus. “I have no idea how far this root goes- I don’t- I have no idea how to fix this. I’m supposed to take care of this place! _I have to know!_ I-“

“Breathe,” Reborn put his other hand on her shoulders. “Take a deep breath. You need to calm down.”

The next few minutes is spent with Reborn coaching her to breathe.

“Now tell me from the beginning.”

Tsu told him.

Reborn’s expression turned grim once her explanation is over.

“Don’t waste your time digging up the roots. It goes all the way down to the Underworld. I’ll help you cover the hole-“

“The Underworld?” Tsu cut him off. “This is the first time I heard about this.”

Reborn clicked her tongue. “Your parents didn’t tell you a lot of things. Come on. We don’t have much time. Give me your hands.”

Obediently she put her hands on his. Reborn’s hands start glowing and Tsu watch as her wounds heal. Not her scars though. Nothing can fully heal them. “I didn’t know you can do that,” Tsu mutters.

“There is a lot that you don’t know about, Princess,” Reborn let go of her hands. “Now give me your shovel. I’ll-“

Tsu cut him off for the second time, “You can’t tell anyone about what happened here.”

Reborn studies her. His pupils lit up. “You can’t possibly think to keep this matter hidden forever. Your parents will find out eventually.”

“They won’t if I solve the problem first.”

“The nymphs under your employment will talk.”

“They are loyal to me,” Tsu reassures him. Or is it her that needed convincing?

Reborn certainly doesn’t look convinced. “Are they?”

“I will ask them to not say anything, until my parents specifically ask them about it,” Tsu retracts. “I will take the full blame. With this, no one else will-“ She doesn’t dare to finish that sentence. 

_ No one else will get hurt. _

“You will not come over or talk to me until I fix this,” Tsu hold his gaze. Reborn will not be collateral damage in her mess. She wouldn’t allow it. She can do this much for her Best Friend Forever.

“Your father will not let you off that easily,” Reborn warns her.

_ A daughter must not challenge her father.  _

_ But a father, the king of the gods at that, can do whatever he wants.  _

Tsu smiles ruefully. “All the more reason to fix this then.”

She looks down on the roots once more. “Tell me about the Underworld.”

* * *

The ban is still in place weeks later.

Tsu doesn’t let anyone to enter the groves. The nymphs didn’t report her to her parents just yet. Tsu will make sure to see them rewarded once everything is over.

The sickness has spread to other trees. The fruits have dimples on them. The worse ones have rust spots. 

Tsu gather as many healthy blossoms as she could to turn them to apples. 

She poured her magic into the trees to stave off the sickness. It worked, for a while, but in the end it only slow down the rot. It got to the point when each evening Tsu tire herself out from using so much magic.

At this point, the nymphs have picked up that something is _definitely_ wrong.

They have yet to say anything. Instead they work harder in the workshop. Tsu no longer go there, too busy with the groves. Her nymphs patch her up as much as they could before she attend to her duty as cupbearer. They leave out food and water and bandages for her after Tsu finish tending the trees after midnight. The nymphs don’t ask why Reborn never come to visit anymore. 

Tsu wish she can spend more time with them but she couldn’t afford to. They are running out of time. Tsu have exhaust every method she could to save the trees. She has three options left.

One. Seek the help of a nature deity.

Two. Tell her mother.

Three. Go to the Underworld.

Number Two is the least desirable option. Tsu want to put it off for _much_ longer. 

Number Three is just as dangerous as Number Two. Reborn told her that the Underworld is a lawless land. They cast the old gods to the deepest level of the Underworld to suffer for all eternity. The mortals would wander aimlessly until the end of time. The sun never reach there. Whoever enters never come out again. 

Number One then. 

* * *

Nana found out about the situation before Tsu can enact her plan to slip away to the mortal realm.

She goes to Iemitsu straightaway.

* * *

Tsu stand at the centre of the throne room. All eyes are on her. Her faithful nymphs are at her feet. Tsu wishes nothing more than to hold them and wipe their tears but she could do nothing. She can’t even tell them everything will be alright because that would be a lie. The heavenly court have gathered here today to watch. Reborn is present as well. Tsu resolutely did not look at him. 

The king sit on his golden throne. Her mother sat next to him on a smaller throne. She refused to meet Tsu’s eyes. 

It happened so quickly. 

Mochida and cronies barged into the workshop. Tsu surrendered without a fuss. Told her nymphs not to resist. Who knew that these band of villain would go as far as to wreck the workshop? In the ensuing chaos, they ruined batches of ambrosia and nectar. Tsu only screamed in outrage when they took the opportunity to grope her nymphs. She suspects that they try to grope her too if it weren’t for her status as a princess.

Not that her position will be any help now. 

Mochida throw a sack to the floor. Misshapen golden apples spill out. 

The entire hall gasp.

Iemitsu’s eyes narrow dangerously. “What is the meaning of this?”

Tsu straighten her spine. “The trees are sick, Your Grace.” She says in a matter-of-fact tone. “The roots have rot on them. I was able to stave off the rot from advancing further with my magic, but it didn’t solve the problem.”

Lightning flashed in Iemitsu’s eyes. Thunder roars in the background. “I gave you one job. _One._ And you can’t even do it properly.”

She knows that if she tries to defend herself, they will think that she is making excuses. So Tsu continues on with more facts. “I was on my way to ask Lord Bovino for word of advice when Mochida and his followers brought us here. They wrecked the workshop as they do so. I wasn’t able to see the full damage but I can only hope they don’t touch the stocks.” Here, she paused to shoot a glare at the war god. “If we stop having parties-“

_“Stop the parties?”_ Iemitsu growls.

“...every night,” Tsu look at the king in disbelief. Is he truly that upset at the prospect of not holding parties everyday? “If we are careful, we will have enough golden apples to sustain us until I find the cure.”

“We won’t have this problem from the beginning if you do your job right,” Iemitsu said through gritted teeth.

“The rot have spread long before I was appointed, Your Grace.” The progression did not happen overnight. If it truly originated from the Underworld, then it would’ve taken years, decades, maybe even _centuries_ for the rot to make it all the way to the heavens.

“You have failed,” Iemitsu declares. Tsu’s scars start to ache. “Not only you have failed at being a goddess, you humiliated me.” His eyes are cold like ice. “You are to be removed from your position. I will have no failure walk within these walls.”

The entire hall grows silent.

_ No, no, no! He can’t do this. He can’t! _

_ He can. _

“Your Grace,” Tsu fell on her knees. “The trees are still alive. We can still save them. Please!” She choked back a sob. “I can’t do this on my own. But- But if everyone work together, we can-“

“Silence!” Iemitsu shouted. “I’ve heard enough. You are to be stripped of your position and your power. We have no use for a girl who could only grow apples.”

Someone from the audience laugh. Tsu don’t turn around to see who it is. Her eyes fixed on the imposing figure on the throne.

_ “Father-“ _

Iemitsu look at her in contempt, “You are no daughter of mine.”

Silence filled the hall once more. Reborn stand to his feet. He send Iemitsu a glare so fierce Tsu wonder if Iemitsu’s divinity is the only thing that prevented him from turning to ash.

“Really, Iemitsu? You will disown her over something like this?” Reborn didn’t back down even when Iemitsu glared at him. “You never saw her working before. Tsu take her position as the goddess of the golden apples seriously. It’s not like she did this on purpose. For all we know, she is the only one who can save the apples.”

Iemitsu’s face darkened, “A useless thing like _her_ _?_ ” 

“You can’t look past that ego of yours you won’t even let her explain herself.” 

“Are you telling me how to do my job?”

“I’m telling you that you are being stupid.” 

While the two gods exchange barbs, Tsu looked at Nana. The queen of the gods look down on her lap. She has not say anything since this whole farce of a trial begun. 

Suddenly Iemitsu stood over her. Before Tsu can say or do anything, his hand grabbed her by the throat. 

“Fa-“ Tsu begin to plead.

Iemitsu tightened his hold, cutting her off. His hand started to glow bright. The light reminds her of her golden apples. 

She can feel her strength leaving her. Something vital is being sucked out from her body.

Tsu clawed at the offending hand. Iemitsu tightens his grip until she can’t very well breath. 

She can hear the nymphs screaming. Reborn is shouting but she can’t make out the words. Tsu forced her eyes to stay open. She looked at Nana who spectate the whole thing from her throne. Her mother’s mouth is wide open but she made no move to help her. When she noticed that Tsu is looking at her, Nana turn away. 

Tsu collapse when the whole thing is over. Her whole body is numb. But she still have enough strength in her to lift her head up. Mochida and cronies have drawn their weapons. They are pointed at Reborn and her nymphs. 

_ No! Not them! Please!  _

A weak whimper is the only thing she can manage. So she begins to crawl instead. If they are to die here, at least Tsu will be able to accompany her nymphs. But Reborn-

The floor beneath her suddenly crumble. Tsu let out a silent scream as gravity pull her down. Reborn jump to save her but Iemitsu block his path. A bright light envelop her.

Tsu is falling.

And falling. 

_falling_


	2. ii

Tsu woke up in the middle of a field. Her body aches in all sorts of places but nothing is broken. Then memories rush back to her.

_ Mochida barging into the workshop. _

_ Iemitsu turning her mortal. _

_ Reborn _

She wanted to cry. Instead she got up to her feet. If she cries now, she won’t be able to move. She needs to  _ move _ . 

The sky is dark. Not a full day has passed then. Tsu have no idea how long she have unconscious. The last thing she remembered was light wrapped around her. It was Reborn’s. She recognise his magic everywhere. Reborn used his magic to ensure that Tsu will survive the fall.

Iemitsu have intended her to  _ die _ .

Her palms aches.

Right. She can’t stay here. She is mortal now. Mortals can die from hunger or thirst or a thousand more ways. Tsu will not die here. Not before she knows for sure that Reborn and her nymphs are safe. Not before she save her trees.

Tsu already care for the golden apples trees long before her appointment. She won’t stop now. She will survive. 

The very fact that she is still alive right now is a thumb in the eye for Iemitsu.

Tsu intend to keep it that way for as long as she could.

So

First thing in order is to get out of the wilderness. There are wild beasts out here, maybe even monsters. Not that Tsu ever saw one. She never step out of the palace, let alone down here. Her visit to Lord Bovino’s place was supposed to be her first trip. 

Tsu walk aimlessly until she stumble upon what appears to be a ruin. Upon closer inspection, it’s clear that this building was once a house. Time and weather have left it in shambles but the foundation still stood and the roof is still intact (for the most part.) 

She found a roll of moth eaten cloth in the cupboard. It's still intact enough so Tsu spread it on the floor. 

_ ‘I will get up at dawn. So Reborn can see I’m alive,’ _ Tsu thought as she lies down.  _ ‘I will look for food and water. I will look for the nearest town. Mortals use money so I must find a job.’ _

_ I will live _

So a plan is formed in her mind and Tsu drift to sleep.

* * *

She missed the sunrise the following morning. Tsu waited for another hour to see if she can spot Reborn’s chariot. She gave up when her stomach pang with hunger.

Tsu wander around for a bit more to see if she can find something. A bush of berries, a tree bearing fruit, anything really.

She found a copse of apple trees instead.

It’s not her golden apples but Tsu welcome the familiarity nonetheless. There is a river nearby where she can drink from and wash herself. Once Tsu is properly rested (and dry), she depart once more in search of civilisation. 

It took her an hour to find a village. It stood upon a hill that overlooks a vineyard.

Tsu approach the first adult she saw and asked him. “Do you need any extra hands around here?”

He points her to the village chief, who points her to a woman, who shoved a wicker basket to her hands.

They gave her bread and water for lunch. Tsu eat her lunch separate from the group. When she was still a goddess, Tsu know nothing of hunger or thirst. Their health do not depend on daily nourishment. Meals are simply formality.

The villagers cast her wary glances from time to time. Tsu can’t fault them for being suspicious. 

One of the children approached her on a dare. 

“Where are you from?”

“The mountains.”

“Why are you here instead of the mountains?”

“My father cast me out.”

“Why?”

“Because I couldn’t live up to his expectations.”

Tsu strongly suspect that Iemitsu wanted to cast her out from the very beginning. It’s only now that he has an excuse to do so. 

The child pushed. “What did you do?” 

Tsu give the child a weary smile, “I was not fast enough.”

* * *

Tsu returned to the abandoned house. No, not abandoned. Hers now. It could collapse anytime. Draft coming in from somewhere. Spiderweb cobs in the ceiling. But it’s her home now. Temporary home. Still hers.

One of the women gave her a few dresses, a pair of sandals and blanket. Tsu thanked them profusely. They pity her, she knows, but these strangers showed her more kindness when she would ever get from her parents.

She rests under the apple tree, waiting for the sun to set. Is Reborn safe? Are her nymphs safe? Who will take care of the groves while she’s away? Probably Nana. Iemitsu appointing a new deity is a possibility. Tsu is fully aware that no amount of magic will make the rot go away. They must go to the source. 

Will Iemitsu listen? That is the biggest question.

What if the next caretaker couldn’t solve it? Iemitsu probably will exile them.

Or try to kill them.

What if Nana tried and failed? What will he do to her? 

Tsu shiver at the thought. Nana may have chosen her husband over her daughter but Tsu can’t forget that Nana is still her flesh and blood. It’s not something you can just write off. 

The wait seemingly stretch on forever until the sky turns red. Tsu get up to her feet. Reborn’s carriage is coming anytime now. 

A familiar dot appear on the horizon. Tsu tiptoes to get a better look. The dot gets bigger and bigger- It multiply- Wait-

_ Two dots? _

Tsu held her breath as two carriages cross the sky. Neither of the carriages are Reborn’s. If Reborn is not the one to control the sun then who-

_ He was removed from his position. _

Tsu cried in despair. Reborn must have put up one hell of a fight. She knows he would. Her Best Friend Forever is not only a powerful god, he is also a veteran of two wars. But it’s not enough. He must have been overpowered. Even Iemitsu will find it difficult if the whole pantheon turn against him. 

Reborn must have known that he will not be able to get away when he stood up for her. If Iemitsu have no qualms in letting his own daughter fell to her death, he won’t give Reborn any shred of mercy. 

_ (Does Iemitsu even know the word ‘mercy’?) _

Tsu throw herself to the ground. She slammed her fist against the earth, sob until she can’t breathe, screaming bloody murder. 

She doesn’t let herself fall apart yesterday. 

Today, she let.

* * *

Tsu go back inside eventually. 

Part of her hope that Reborn survive somehow. That he is in hiding somewhere in the corner of this world. Waiting. Biding his time. If anyone can topple Iemitsu, it would be him. She wondered why she didn’t see it back then. All the way back to the eve of her appointment. Tsu had thought that Iemitsu frowned because Reborn treated her kindly. He already got what he wanted. To see her treated as a mere servant. Reborn is different though. 

Reborn is powerful. Reborn is wise. Reborn know how to be kind.

If there is anyone she doesn’t mind to sit on that damned throne, it will be Reborn.

Her first priority is the golden apples but Tsu must survive first. Then she must prepare sufficient funds and tools to last her through her travel. Oh, and let’s not forget to safely traverse the Underworld. 

According to Reborn, the Underworld have no rulers or system. The souls of mortals get sucked into the nearest gateway. So there must be multiple entrance to the Underworld. Getting out of that place is a different story. 

She know virtually nothing about the mortal world. She strongly doubt that the villagers will take it nicely if Tsu went and ask them where is the nearest entrance to the Underworld. 

She couldn’t get the villagers involved. They don’t deserve to be punished for her actions. In the short time she spent in their company, Tsu have noticed that they are  _ tired _ . You can see the misery in their eyes. They have given up. 

They are also  _ scared _ . 

The whole village reeks of fear. Sheltered as she may be, even Tsu noticed. 

It was two weeks later that she found out why.

They loaded all the wine into one huge jar. Men secured it in place on the biggest cart Tsu have ever seen. 

Tsu stood with the womenfolk as they watch the men depart.

“Where are they going?” She asked.

“To the Giant’s Hole,” The woman next to her spit at the ground.

Tsu blinks. “The what?”

“A Giant. A monster. It lived in a cave. We must give it wine every month or it will come to drink our blood. We tried to kill the damned beast in the past. Multiple times. We failed.”

“What about your king? The gods?” Tsu blurted out the last two words before she could stop herself.

The woman laughed. It was hollow. “We prayed to the gods to save us. They told us no. We are to serve the monster for all eternity. It was their gift to the giant.  _ We are the gift.  _ My grandparents, my parents, me, my children, my grandchildren, their children and the children after them.”

“And you pray still?”

“I don’t know what the gods will do to us if we stop praying,” The woman said bitterly. Then she smiled at her, almost motherly. “That’s just how the world is, child.”

* * *

The king and the rest of the kingdom left them to their fate. Merchants seldom visit. This village is truly on its own. What little field left that is not used to grow grapes was used to grow wheat. Men and women catch fish in the rivers, make traps for little animals and forage for edible mushrooms. They search for food in what little daylight left after back breaking work at the vineyard. Cattle is a luxury. They only serve sheep meat or beef for offerings. Many grew up and die without ever tasting the wine of their making because all of it goes to the Giant. 

They had thought that Tsu will abandon them once she learns about the giant. Tsu will never forget the look on their faces when she shows up yet again at the mark of the thirtieth day since her arrival. It’s been a month and she’s still here. The villagers warmed up to her after that. 

Each night Tsu will return home with something. An old pitcher, a basket, a piece of honeyed bread, a broom, something. Her house is still a gloomy place but she slowly fills the space. These people barely have anything yet they still share it with her. 

Their kindness makes her hate her father even more. To the other gods, contempt. To herself, loathing.

She berated herself for her ignorance. For her obsession with the golden apples. For not caring beyond her job. 

Tsu is- was- a goddess. She could have gone down to the mortal much sooner. She can help them. The mortals are theirs to protect. 

Hers to protect.

It doesn’t matter how small a village is or how great a kingdom grow, these people are  _ their  _ responsibility. The gods left them at the mercy of a Giant. Generations of people offered to a monster as gift. 

What did the giant do exactly? No one knows. 

All the villagers know is that they are to spend the rest of their lives to make wine for a monster. 

Her mission is still the same; to save the golden apples. Tsu has a second mission to accomplish now. To save this village from the Giant. She doesn’t know how yet, but she will. 

* * *

The giant’s name is Gola Mosca. According to stories passed down in the village, Gola Mosca possess a treasure in his cave. No one knows what it is exactly. All they know is that Gola Mosca will chase them away once they deliver the wine. Villagers will return to the cave’s entrance to retrieve the empty jar the following day. Oh, and the gigantic jar they used was made by Gola Mosca’s very own hands. Once upon a time, the men of the village braved through a storm to deliver the wine. The muddy road caused the cart to slip and the jar fell. It shattered immediately. Gola Mosca drained their blood in retaliation. When the rest of the villagers came to take the corpses, a new jar is already waiting for them. Gola Mosca actually placed the jar on top of the corpses. 

Gola Mosca will die horribly. Preferably in the hands of its victims. Tsu may not be the one who will end its life but she can damn make sure it happens.

No warriors ever come through these parts. Even bandits steer clear from the village and the surrounding area. Asking the kingdom for help is laughable. The gods?  _ Pssh. _

So.  _ So.  _ It’s up to Tsu and the villagers to take care of the problem themselves. 

Brute force is not going to cut it. They need to use their wits to kill the giant. Tsu have yet to lay her eyes on the monster. 

She asked more about the village history. The village chief told her that they tried to kill the beast in its sleep. They woke him up in the process. One time they spiked the wine but no amount of snake venom can knock him out. According to a scout’s report dated sixty years ago, the Giant would drink itself to sleep. 

That’s all they can tell her. Tsu decided not to push her luck. The village chief gave her a suspicious look when she asked.

They have a more urgent issue to address in their hands.

Whoever the new sun deities are, they are still green at it. 

The sun is up too soon or too late. Some days it is up for too long and another time too short. 

The errant pattern worries everyone. The harvest depends on the sun. The forest depend on it. Villagers prayed for the new deities. They prepare more offerings than usual in hope to appease the sun deities. 

Tsu try to think of any unassigned gods and goddesses that she aware of. Iemitsu won’t just give the job just to anyone. And he gave it to a team of two? The only siblings she can think of are Ryohei and Kyouko. Reborn had commented on their potential once. Mochida expressed his desire to court Kyouko in the past. 

Tsu wanted to get angry. To hate the siblings for taking over Reborn’s domain. Yet she couldn’t bring herself to. Kyouko had thanked her when Tsu filled her cup. Ryohei always asked nicely whenever he wants a refill. If she weren’t so busy or bitter, Tsu thinks she can become friends with them. 

Those two are  _ trying _ . Tsu knows that. Reborn made the job look easy but it is incredibly difficult. 

_ The sun is not something you can control with the snap of your fingers.  _ Reborn had told her.  _ It came to be when the world came to be. Before the land take shape. Before the sea poured in. Before the sky envelop the world. Light was first. The sun was first. Life followed after.  _

The mortals don’t know that. Nor do they know these siblings that replaced him. They prayed for Reborn. They prayed for Iemitsu to give them mercy. They prayed to Nana so their children will be spared. They prayed to Bovino so the harvest won’t fail. 

Tsu doesn’t pray. She couldn’t bear the thought of praying to any deity other than Reborn. What if she prayed for her friend and the wrong god hear it? They will report to Iemitsu and he’ll know for sure that she survived. Reborn’s sacrifice will be in vain. 

Ryohei and Kyouko are trying to do what Reborn have done for two ages. No one knows better how difficult the task is other than those two. 

Back to the matter at hand.

Ryohei and Kyouko are trying their best but their effort is not enough. Their very lives are at balance here. Gola Mosca must be taken care of before the next harvest. 

That’s when Tsu decided to follow the men on the next delivery. 

* * *

The men told her to go back. Snapped at her when she refused. But they didn’t do anything to stop her. They need all able men to bring the wine uphill. Tsu swore that she only wants to observe. That appeased the men. Just a little bit. 

They depart before dawn. Before  _ supposed _ dawn. It’s hard to keep track of time when the sun no longer move as it should. 

The Giant’s Cave is located at the base of the mountain. It took them hours to get there. Tsu noted how large the entrance to the cave is. Which makes sense since it supposed to house a  _ giant _ . It’s not hard to imagine that the entire inside of the mountain is turned to the giant’s living space. By the time they arrived, the sun is already up. 

The men put down the giant jar. One of them pick her up and throw her over his shoulder like a sack of grain. Tsu wanted to protest, but the fear in their eyes stopped her from speaking.

And then she hears it.

Loud footsteps-  _ stomps-  _ coming from inside the cave. 

The men hasten. 

Tsu saw a big black head before the men take a turn.

* * *

Tsu follow the men to retrieve the jar the next day.

This time she doesn’t get thrown over someone’s shoulder. 

* * *

She can’t slip away for too long before anyone take notice of her absence. Tsu is part of their lives now. She is a strange girl who doesn’t pray and ask too much questions and fear too little, but she is one of them. Tsu can’t do that to the townspeople. There is no need for her to add heartbreak on top of the hardships these people live through daily.

But she can’t leave the giant alone either. 

This situation is not sustainable. What if the townspeople perished? What then? The gods will appoint another village for the beast to bully? 

The Giant must go.

Only one side can live.

Tsu need to know more. What is the Giant guarding? How can she get to it without it noticing her? How to kill the beast?

Tsu never learn swordsmanship, wrestling or how to ride a horse. She possess no strength or vitality that can help her survive. No weapons or magic. 

All she has is her own two hands. Oh, and her mind. 

She can’t do this alone. She  _ can’t _ . But she will not be able to rally the villagers. At least, not until she presents them a concrete plan.

This is not a one man job. 

Tsu need someone. 

* * *

It turns out all she needs are seven feathered friends.

Tsu is woken by the next day by a shrill cry in her ears. She opens her eyes to see a bevy of doves on her person. They all flap their wings and cry some more when they realised that she is awake.

One of the birds, the one closest to her face, shriek the loudest. 

Something about its brown eyes strike her as familiar.

“Haru?” Tsu says before her brain can fully compute the scene before her.

The dove jump up and down.

Tsu’s eyes widened. “ _ Haru???” _

Then the doves start singing a tune as one. Tsu recognise their song.

It is the song her nymphs like to sing as they work.

“Haru!” Tears filled her eyes. “And Hana! Yuko!” Tsu start to address the birds one by one. The birds went wild when she say their name. Her nymphs! Her friends!

Tsu gathered all of them in her arms and cry. 

This time, her tears are that of happiness.

* * *

Her friends tried their best to tell her what happened through pictures. As in, they arrange twigs to form an image. Tsu has lost her ability to speak doves when Iemitsu stripped her powers. But this? This she understand.

According to her friends, Reborn turned them to doves as soon as he saw Tsu fell. He must have thought that Iemitsu will have the nymphs killed. And he’s not wrong in that regard. If Iemitsu can be so callous to his own blood, why would he care for some nymphs?

From there, the nymphs flew down from the heavens. They looked and looked until they finally found her.

They don’t know what happened to Reborn after that. It’s possible that they won’t be able to return to their original form. They will tackle one thing at a time.

Tsu is just happy that they are not killed. 

* * *

Tsu bring her friends up to speed with what had happened with her so far. The nymphs are stunned with the entire matter with the Giant and the gods, as much as they can emote in their bird forms. 

They can’t tell her much about the new sun gods. They don’t even know if Reborn is still alive. He was fighting Mochida and his cronies last they saw him. 

“I will go to the Underworld at some point. After I helped the villagers,” Tsu told them one morning. “I can’t leave them like this. All of you can stay here if you want to. Just knowing that you guys are alive is more than enough. You don’t have to follow me all the way down there.”

The nymphs gave her a look that says  _ Of course we’re coming with you. Isn’t it obvious? As if we’re going to leave you. _

That got her to tear up again.

So.

While Tsu work in the field, her friends spy on the giant. At night, they will return to their little home. Tsu tell them of her day. The nymphs give their report by arranging twigs on the floor. 

Her suspicion is correct. The entire mountain had been dug out to make rooms and tunnels for Gola Mosca.

Gola Mosca keep hundreds if not thousands of wine in its cellar.

What an asshole.

Its greed? Gluttony? Gola Mosca’s vice know no bounds. 

The monster spend its day drinking, sleeping or making jars out of earth.

It will take weeks, months even, for the nymphs to fully explore the Giant’s hole.

They don’t have that much time.

Tsu told them to explore the cellar. Since this beast value wine so much, maybe the treasure is somewhere in there. It has to be. If it were her, Tsu will keep it some place she know very well. Her bedroom or the groves. The treasure got to be in there somewhere. 

They need to know of the monster’s habits, schedule, behavior. Any scrap of information will do. 

Tsu told them to be careful. 

On her part, she searches for a weapon. Tsu quickly settles on a spear the men used to catch fish or fend off wild animals. That or pitchfork. An axe will be too heavy for her to use. Nevermind that Tsu won’t be able to swing it. 

Every morning, before Tsu go to town, she would practise with her broom. Swinging, thrusting and throwing as if she is holding a spear instead of a broom. It is silly, she knows. She might even do it wrong. Reborn would scoff if he sees her clumsy form. But what else can she do? 

The nymphs have taken on the dangerous task to spy on the monster. It’s only right that Tsu take the riskiest job of all. 

A fallen goddess turned mortal and seven nymphs turned to dove.

They are the only ones here.

It has to be enough. 

It just has to.

* * *

The nymphs return one evening with an interesting report.

Someone is trapped in one of the jars. The jar in question is placed on the furthest back. The oldest looking of them all.

They hear voices- words- coming from that jar.

An immortal. It has to be an immortal. No one can survive long enough being trapped in a jar like that.

And if this person truly is an immortal…

Then they might be strong enough to kill a monster. 

* * *

The plan is far from perfect. It has too many holes. But it’s the best one they got, considering their circumstances. 

Tsu can’t afford to wait to see if the immortal is good or evil. She figured that someone who has been sealed away for so long would surely have beef with Gola Mosca. 

And well- They are in desperate need for a champion. 

Tsu set out on a rainy day. The sound of raindrops accompanied with thunder will mask any noise she makes. She brought with her a pitchfork that had been discarded due to old age. The handle had snapped to halves. Which is the perfect size for her to carry.

The day for the next wine delivery will be tomorrow.

Really, the timing couldn’t get anymore perfect.

The Giant is nowhere to be seen when she arrived. Tsu has no desire for linger for too long. Haru led her to the cellar. The rest keep an eye for the monster in case he is coming. 

Everything is  _ gigantic _ . The furniture, the club resting against the cavern walls, and of course, the jars itself. 

Haru led her to the farthest corner of the cellar. The jar they have told her about is placed on the very bottom. Cobwebs covered the entire thing. Who knows how long this thing have been down here? This could very well be the legendary treasure. Maybe Gola Mosca have forgotten.

Tsu marked it with chalk. A large white ‘X’ on the jar.

As if whatever inside recognise her presence, a low moan can be heard from the inside.

Tsu willed herself not to run in fear.

“We’ll get you out of here,” She promised. She has no idea if the other person heard her, but she receives a groan in response. 

Tsu rests her forehead against the jar, “I’ll come back for you.”

_ “We’ll get you free.” _

* * *

The giant known as Gola Mosca is  _ fucking  _ ugly.

The creature is about thirty feet tall, give or take. It has only one eye. The skin is a coarse grey with scars and patches littered all over it. The mouth is the worst part. Gola Mosca’s mouth is shaped like a fly’s. And the giant is naked. 

_ Disgusting _

Tsu wanted nothing more than to retch. Gola Mosca smelled horrible.

And Gola Mosca is sleeping.

If she wants to do it, she must do it now. They have come this far. She can’t hesitate here.

Tsu climb over Gola Mosca’s shoulder with great difficulty. Ugh, she must take a bath in the river after this. But she made it.  _ She made it. _

Tsu stand over the giant skin that is Gola Mosca’s eyelid. She reached for the pitchfork tied around her waist. 

_ Please let it be enough. _

She raises the pitchfork over her head-

_ This has to be enough. _

-and swing it downwards. 

* * *

Gola Mosca’s scream of pain seemingly shake the very earth.

* * *

The following day, the men would found the giant sprawled at the entrance of its home. Its single eye bleeding profusely. The monster have drunk itself to a stupor in order to numb the pain. It can’t even put together a coherent sentence. 

The men put down the new batch of wind and  _ run. _

* * *

Tsu tagged along when the men make another trip to the Giant’s Hole the next day. They found no jar awaits them upon arrival. No one seems to be brave enough to venture inside so Tsu went ahead. The men followed afterwards. Either because they don’t want to be blamed for Tsu’s death or they themselves are curious with what had happened. 

They found Gola Mosca passed out in the cellar. Broken jars and spilled wine scattered all over the floor. Gola Mosca most likely knocked over the stock by accident when it looked for wine. 

“We must return with a jar,” Tsu told the men. “And I know just the one.”

They can’t go back to the village empty handed. So the men follow her. 

Tsu led the men further inside. They stopped in front of the marked jar. The men cringed when they hear noises from inside. Tsu ignores them and start tearing down cobwebs. “If a god truly reside in this jar, then they have the best chance to kill Gola Mosca for good.” She told them. 

That got the men to move. One by one, they reach for the old jar. 

They are careful not to wake the monster on their way out. 

They can hear movement from inside the jar as they make their descent but the men never wavered in their steps.

Without even discussing it, they have reached the same conclusion as she had.

They don’t stop moving until they reach the village. The men put the jar down at the square. A blacksmith pull out a hammer to smash the aged lid. His apprentices joined him. 

Tsu was the first to see the inside.

A black haired man with golden scars shaped like lightning all over him look up to meet her gaze.

Tsu smiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> XANXUS! XANXUS! XANXUS!


	3. iii

They brought the immortal to her home. Tsu have to give up her bed but that is a sacrifice she doesn’t mind to make. All that matters is that the immortal can rest now. He had fallen unconscious when they pulled him out of the jar. 

His name is anyone’s guess. They will have to wait until he wakes up.

In the meantime, Tsu has some reckoning to do. 

She left her doves to keep watch over the immortal. Tsu step out of her house to see the villagers waiting for her. Waiting for explanation. 

“Our situation is not sustainable,” Tsu gesture to her surroundings. “We already struggled to survive to see tomorrow. I’m sure all of you have noticed the sun’s strange pattern. At this rate, the harvest might fail.” 

Many people shifted at that. The possibility of a failed harvest weigh in their minds for some time now. Tsu is simply the first to voice it. 

“We can’t leave things up to chance. It’s either us or the Giant. That’s why I went to investigate the Giant’s Hole. You men saw what’s in there. Hundreds- possibly thousands of wine jars that can sate the monster until the end of time. I felt the same indignation as you did when I first saw it.”

Murmurs of agreement spread through the crowd. 

“It’s either us or the Giant,” Tsu repeat once more. “But we can’t kill him. We are too weak. We need something to tip the scale. Legend has it that Gola Mosca guard a treasure. So I went.”

“The immortal,” the village head whispers. “He’s the treasure. And you want to make him our champion.”

The golden scars littered over his body strike fear into the villagers. Those scars are the work of a god. This is no ordinary human. No mortal can last inside a jar for that long. No mortal can survive a lightning bolt from the king of gods. 

Tsu may very well brought another monster into their lives.

This immortal may very well be the reason why Gola Mosca stay in this place.

And yet.

None of them call for his head.

Some of it may stemmed for fear but that is not the case here. For they too know that this immortal is an outcast. 

Just like them. 

“I figured he too would want to see Gola Mosca dead as much as us,” Tsu says. “This plan is not without its risks but we managed to bring the immortal back with us. He is the best chance we got. We can’t go back now. The survival of the village and everyone in it is at stake. If this is our chance to finish Gola Mosca once and for all, I will take it.”

One of the men stepped forward, “The Giant’s eye. Was it you who blinded it?” 

“Yes,” Tsu admitted. “We need to weaken it somehow. I did it to buy us time.” How much time do they have left is up to debate. 

The villagers looked at each other and then at her. Some looked skeptical, some looked at her in awe. The latter disturbed her more. Tsu never receive that sort of attention before. No one tried to refute her. Tsu was the first one to enter the cave earlier that day. She was the one who took the initiative to look for the treasure. She was the only one  _ idiotic  _ enough to try to pull this off. 

“That was a huge gamble you took,” The village head shakes his head. “But it paid off. We have more fighting chance than our forefathers ever dreamed of. It will be stupid of us not to take it.” He turned his back on her to face the villagers. “It’s either us or the monster. The answer should be obvious.”

No one has anything to say to that. Tsu take in their expressions and she knew.

* * *

The immortal developed a fever that night. It’s probably the sudden change of environment. He did spent who knows how long trapped in that jar. Tsu did her best to tend to him. She wiped his sweat, put a damp cloth over his forehead, piled the blanket on him and so on. The immortal almost break Tsu’s hand when she gave him water. She lifted his head for a bit so she can tip the cup over his mouth without spilling. The taste of water entering his mouth is enough to snap him awake. He held onto her wrist so tight that Tsu thought he would snap it. She got bruises instead. His skin is so hot that it wouldn’t surprise her if she gets burned. The immortal finished a full pitcher worth of water. 

Ruby red eyes follow her form as Tsu work. The immortal can’t speak. Well, that’s not quite right. He can produce noises. But he can’t form words. Surely he can. Her girls claimed that they heard him speak. Not that they can make it out either. Maybe he doesn’t understand her words? Or plain suspicious of her? Tsu is unsure. She talks to him anyway.

“My name is Tsu.” “The villagers gave me the extra blankets.” “Are you comfortable?” “I’m going to give you a wipe, okay?” “Dinner will be ready soon.” 

The immortal respond back by grunting each time. 

Tsu doesn’t ask if the scars still hurt. Of course they are. Hers still ache. Tsu can’t even begin to imagine the agony this immortal must have felt. 

She wish she still has her golden apples. One is enough. One golden apple is all they need to get to him to recover fully. But her golden apples is all the way up there in the heavens. The groves are sick. 

The immortal is sick too.

The womenfolk came by the next morning to give her flour they can spare. Now that Tsu has one more mouth to feed under her roof. 

“You silly girl,” One of the women, an old crone, rasped. “What were you thinking?”

She can mean a million things.  _ Why did you go to the Giant’s Hole? Did you know how dangerous it was? Do you know what you’re doing when you take in an immortal?  _

Tsu give her the honest truth. “I want us to live.”

* * *

The immortal slip in and out of consciousness. His fever finally broke after three days so Tsu think that he is getting better. She doesn’t know a thing about being sick. She never got sick before. The womenfolk told her what needed to be done. Tsu hope it will be enough. No medicine deity will help them. Tsu had asked the villagers  _ not  _ to mention the immortal in their prayers. They got the message.

Whenever she has to leave the house, her girls watch over the immortal. He took one look at them piled on top of him and seemingly resigned himself to his fate. 

She wonders what the immortal must have thought about all these. To be cared for by a mortal girl and her pet doves. Regardless, Tsu trusts the immortal not to break hospitality by attacking her or the villagers. They freed him. The immortal owe them that much. 

The womenfolk drop by once more to give her a loom and some materials. Now Tsu can make clothes for the immortal. The rags he wore when they freed him had been used as kindling. The womenfolk helped Tsu put on new clothes on him the first day. The immortal is  _ massive  _ in the mortals’ eyes. Malnutrition left many of the villagers short and susceptible to illnesses. The immortal must look downright alien to them. It will be a challenge to make clothes big enough for the immortal but Tsu must try. 

She works next to the immortal, so it will be quicker to attend to him if he needed anything. 

Immortal. God. Deity. Prisoner. Former prisoner. Outcast. 

They still don’t know his name. He has yet to give it.

Tsu think that he was there during the last war. Or maybe the second to last war? Or the one before that?

The history of the gods is filled with betrayal and vengeance. Tsu’s predecessor Giotto took the throne after he fought a war against the dynasty before him, who came to power after they defeated the gods before them. Giotto was later betrayed by his own brother Ricardo. Ricardo remained in power for a long time, even by their standards. Five generations passed and he was still king. 

The secret for his long reign is that Ricardo killed all rivals and their descendants. Even his own sons.

Ricardo only ever had sons and grandsons.

So when his great something granddaughter is born, he didn’t do anything to her. He even appointed her.

The goddess’s name is Daniella. 

Daniella was tasked to hold up the sky. She’s still doing it even to this day. There was a time when she briefly left her post. It was to give birth to her son Timoteo. She made arrangements so that Timoteo would survive.

He did.

Timoteo later on led a rebellion that would unseat Ricardo from his position.

That was the second last war.

It was around that time that many gods and goddesses came out of hiding. Iemitsu was one of them. 

Timoteo ascended the throne. His sons later waged a war against him. None of them survived. Iemitsu, as the last known descendant of Giotto, is next in line. 

He probably had been wanting to get rid of her from the start.

Tsu had thought that she was safe. She is a daughter after all. Daniella is Ricardo’s first female descendant. While their gender made it impossible for them to hold the throne, it helped preserved their lives.

Not quite true in Tsu’s case. 

In hindsight, she should have expected it. But Tsu chose to ignore the signs and cling to the childish hope that Iemitsu won’t go that far. Nana wouldn’t let him harm her. 

Now Tsu knows exactly where her parents stand. 

The immortal is most likely a war veteran. From which war though? Did he know Reborn? Iemitsu? Did he fought them? 

Somehow it doesn’t feel right for her to just tell him that the war is over. That Iemitsu is king. The immortal’s temperament is unknown to them. Tsu has no idea how he will react if she tell him  _ Hey, you’ve been trapped for who knows how long. Your friends and family are most likely in the Underworld. The Giant who kept you prisoner is still around. _

A childish part of her wish that Reborn is here so he can take that burden from her. But Reborn is not here. Just her and her girls. 

It’s not that the immortal sleep all the time. He can stay awake for at least an hour now. That’s enough time for Tsu to tell him everything. It will be a heavily one-sided talk. It doesn’t feel right to tell him while he is still not recovered enough to even sit up. 

Tsu will wait.

Until the immortal is well enough to speak, she can speculate all she wants.

* * *

Tsu is hanging laundry outside when she heard  _ him _ .

“Xanxus.”

She drops the cloth and turns around to see the immortal standing on the door way. The blanket wrapped around his nubile form (she has yet to finish her weave). 

Tsu is too stunned to see him standing there to properly register that the immortal is  _ talking .  _ “S-sorry?”

“Xanxus,” The immortal- Xanxus- repeats. “My… Name. Xanxus.” Is it just her imagination or did he hesitated there? Then again, being trapped in a jar for centuries can seriously mess up your mind. Gods or not.

“Xanxus…,” Tsu muttered under her breath. She heard that name before. Then it came to her.

_ Timoteo’s fourth son _

The king of the gods before Iemitsu. 

Timoteo had four sons. They waged war against their father. It has gotten all five of them killed, the father and the four brothers. The first in their long history.

The last war.

Tsu were told- by Reborn no less- that the whole family perished. They are in the Underworld now. Their shades or whatever is left from dead gods. How does that even work?

But standing here before her, the fourth son, who was supposed to be below the earth. He’s not one of Mukuro’s illusions or a god wearing a glamour. He is as real as her.  _ Alive . _

Her next thought is  _ enemy .  _ Because Reborn was part of Timoteo’s faction when the war broke out. Then she thought  _ victim _ .

Because history is written by winners.

“Tsu.”

Oh.  _ Oh .  _ He is calling out to her!

Tsu abandon the laundry and run to his side. She can’t help it. Xanxus is moving! Talking!

Before she can think twice about it, Tsu reach for his hand.

Xanxus doesn’t pull away.

He eyes the healing bruises around her wrists. The blue and purple have turned yellow and green. 

“It’s okay,” She told him.

She tugged his hand so he would step out from the house. There was a flash of emotion in his eyes when Xanxus step outside. Bare feet stepping on the grass. Wind in his hair. The sunlight kisses his skin. 

Tsu led him to the apple copse. He is not ready to face the villagers. And neither would they. It’s just felt right for Xanxus to spend as much time outside. To get fresh air after being locked up for so long. He deserves it.

They sit down on the grass. Tsu offer him an apple. Xanxus take it. 

They spend a long time sitting there under the tree, eating apples in silence. Xanxus is observing everything with  _ intent _ . The leaves on the ground, the nymphs pecking at the ground for worms, the white clouds,  _ everything .  _

They are still holding hands.

Tsu wonder if he thinks this is a dream. That he needs to convince himself that this is real. That he is no longer in that jar. The scene must have been a shock to him. 

They just sit there for hours until sunset.  _ Supposed sunset .  _ Tsu think it’s better to get Xanxus inside before he can spot the new sun deities. She doesn’t think it will make a good starter point. There is a  _ lot _ of history to cover here.

She break the silence first. “Xanxus.”

Xanxus turn to look at her. “Tsu.”

Tsu smiles. 

* * *

They ate gruel for dinner that night. Tsu throw in a handful of beans make the meal less pitiful. Xanxus didn’t voice any complaint. Not even when Tsu told him that she can’t afford to give him seconds because she needs to be careful with the resources in the house now that Xanxus is staying with her. 

After the bowls are cleared away, Tsu sit back down. There is no point in delaying this. The girls are watching quietly from the top shelves. Something must have given away her anxiety, for Xanxus sit up straighter. 

So Tsu tells him.

Not from the start, mind. She told him about Gola Mosca first. How the villagers are forced to provide him wine or die. So many generations have wasted away under Gola Mosca’s terror. The gods and their fellow mortals have turned their back on them. There were attempts on Gola Mosca’s life but none of them succeeded. It wasn’t until recently that the villagers (her) got the idea to look for the treasure. Anything that would give them an edge for once. No one had thought that the treasure would turn out to be a god. But they still brought him out of the cave. Smashed the lid so Xanxus can be freed. 

“...What… about… Gola…?” Xanxus rasped out.

“Still alive,” Tsu can’t help but empathize when Xanxus’s expression darkens. “But we were able to blind him. That’s something at least.”

Is that… approval in Xanxus’s eyes?

Tsu licked her dry lips. Now for the difficult part. “We were hoping that you would kill the giant. We figured you want to see it dead as much as us.”

“I’ll… kill… it…,” The corner of Xanxus’s mouth curve upwards. Tsu is suddenly gripped with terror. She can’t move. The girls are crying out in fear. It felt like a miasma of  _ something  _ has filled the house.

Then Xanxus blinked.

The miasma disappeared.

“That was… Me…,” Xanxus admitted quietly. “I’m… a… war god…”

Tsu knows that bit already. Bloodlust is part of the package when you are a war god. Still, it was a terrifying experience. 

“I… will not… harm… Any of… You,” Xanxus promises. Tsu feel no need to question his intent. The look in his eyes convinced her already. 

After all, Xanxus owes them  _ big time _ .

Tsu can only nod though.

Once she stop trembling (and Xanxus waited patiently), Tsu move on to her next point. She told him that Iemitsu hold the throne now. Xanxus’s bloodlust slip out again at the mention of Iemitsu. It took her longer to stop trembling this time. 

Once she is calm again, Tsu tell Xanxus about the new sun gods. She can’t bring herself to say Reborn’s name because she is afraid she will not be able to hold back her tears. The previous sun god had been replaced by  _ two  _ new deities. The sun begins to behave erratically after they take over. The villagers believe that the gods are angry. Tsu is in the opinion that the new sun deities have yet to fully master their new domain. In any case, the sun’s odd pattern endanger the crops. It was what led them to try to take out Gola Mosca once more. 

“It’s either us or the monster,” Tsu says.

“Fuck the scum,” Xanxus replies with feeling.

* * *

Later on that night, right before Tsu go to bed, Xanxus  _ asked  _ (she get this impression that Xanxus is not used in asking) where she keep the firewood. Tsu has this suspicion that Xanxus will use up all their stocks to keep the hearth burning until morning. But she couldn’t bring herself to blame him. The darkness of the night most likely remind Xanxus of the jar. He had probably endured it for the nights when he still couldn’t move. 

So she told him. 

Xanxus ended up sitting in front of the hearth all night. He stared at the flame the whole time. Tsu, who had been peeking from behind the drapes, about to call it a night when Xanxus say something. 

“Rosa”

Huh?

“Squalo. Lussuria. Levi. Mammon. Federico. Enrico. Massimo-“

Xanxus continue to list off a bunch more names. Tsu recognised some of them. The ones he listed first in particular.

Rosa is the name of Xanxus’s mother, a nymph. Squalo is a sea god. Lussuria a medicine deity. Levi can call on storms. Mammon a trickster deity. Federico, Enrico and Massimo were Xanxus’s brothers. 

Everyone from Xanxus’s past. 

Her nymphs heard his speaking when he was still trapped. Was he reciting those names? 

Is this how he kept his sanity all those years?

Tsu watched him for a bit longer until she can no longer ignore how heavy her eyelids had gotten. She stepped away from the drapes and slip into the covers. 

* * *

Ever since Xanxus recovered his mobility, he will not stay put. 

Or to be more exact, he cannot abide to spend all his time indoors.

Every morning, Xanxus will leave the house to do his share of chores. He collects water from the river, catch fish and look for firewood. One time Xanxus came back with a dead rabbit. Tsu can’t help but imagine that the animal’s heart simply gave out when Xanxus leaked his bloodlust at it. Xanxus take naps at the apple copse. He does exercise in front of the house. Tsu move her loom next to the window so she can look at Xanxus. The girls often join her in watching him. 

Xanxus never fail to return each night. They have dinner together. Once they finished their meal, they do small tasks beside the hearth. She figured out soon enough that Xanxus is not much of a talker to begin with. So Tsu is content to let the silence be. If she’s bored she will sing a song or two. 

Tsu usually go to bed first. Xanxus would stay up a little longer to recite his list of names. Sometimes the nymphs will stay up to keep him company. Xanxus never shoo them away. 

Curiously, Xanxus is never around whenever a villager pay a visit. Perhaps he picked up their anxiety when it comes to him. The mortals are not ready to see him yet. The villagers would ask Tsu how fare the immortal. Is he hurting her? Does she need anything? Should they send someone to stay with her?

Tsu thanked them graciously but turned down their offer. Xanxus hold up the rules of hospitality. He won’t harm a hair of her. He won’t harm the villagers either. He had sworn. 

Then the villagers asked when he will be ready.

Tsu give the same answer every time. 

“He is getting stronger.”

* * *

Even though she can’t give him seconds, Tsu always try to give him the better portion. The larger fish, more vegetables in his soup, a single hard boiled quail egg for dessert and so on. Today she will make honey bread for Xanxus. It will be a welcome change from their usual miserable fare. Xanxus will need all the strength he can get to kill the monster. The day of the next delivery is fast approaching. The villagers are getting antsy. She will bring up the subject to Xanxus later tonight. 

The sound of the door creak open caught her attention. Tsu turned around to see Xanxus standing there, holding a dead pheasant. 

Tsu smile at the sight. “Xanxus!” She waves at him.

To her confusion, Xanxus’s body went rigid. He dropped the pheasant. Tsu about to ask him what’s wrong when he cross the room with alarming speed.

He grabbed a hold of her wrist. “Who did this to you?” 

Tsu blinked at him in confusion before she looked at her hand.

_ Oh _

Her hand.

She doesn’t have the bandages on.

Tsu had taken them off earlier so she can work on the dough. Then realisation hit her. This is the first time Xanxus saw her hands bare. Xanxus reach for her other hand. His eyes narrowed when he saw it scarred as well. He cradles her flour covered palms. “Who did this to you?” Xanxus repeat again. Bloodlust leaking out.

She doesn’t know if it’s the anger in his tone. The miasma of the bloodlust in the room. Or was it the promise of vengeance in his eyes.

All of those not directed at her but  _ for her _ . 

Tsu burst into tears. 

All the words came tumbling out. Tsu is not aware of what she’s saying anymore. She clutched onto Xanxus and just  _ blah  _ everything. Xanxus listened to her patiently. At some point Xanxus brought her to her bedroom where he settled on the bed with Tsu on his lap. He doesn’t say anything. Not even when Tsu dirtied his chiton with her tears and snot. He waited for her to finish. The nymphs perched on her lap and Xanxus’s shoulders. They all make worried noises. 

Once she finished crying, Tsu suddenly find herself  _ tired .  _ The bone weary kind. The kind where you just want to close your eyes and sleep till the next century. 

Xanxus wait for her to stop sniffling before he speaks. “...You blinded the scum?”

“Stabbed him in the eye with a pitchfork,” Tsu answers tiredly. She rests her head against Xanxus’s shoulder. “Someone had to.” 

Then Xanxus did something she never expected.

_ He laughed.  _

It was a harsh laugh. Maniacal even. The nymphs fly away in surprise at the sound of his laughter. Yet Tsu is not scared. Startled, but not scared.

Xanxus grinned at her. “You did a mighty fine job, little goddess.” 

“You’re not mad?”

“Why would I be mad?”

“I’m the daughter of your enemy…” 

Xanxus snorted. “You weren’t even born yet when Timoteo trapped me in that stupid jar.”

“What?” Tsu blinks. 

“Reborn didn’t know the whole story,” Xanxus told her. “He missed out on a lot of things in favor of his friendship with the old coot. Things might have turned out differently if he had noticed.”

“Like what?” 

“It was Timoteo who started the war first,” Xanxus growled. “Timoteo never fully trusted us. He was waiting for someone to rebel against him this entire time. Didn’t help that Iemitsu always whispering in his ear. They spin a false tale of Enrico wanting to take the throne by force. It’s not hard to believe that Enrico would wage a war against his own father. He had always been vocal about the throne being his by right. Then Timoteo accused the rest of us as well. Nevermind that Federico was his most loyal son.  _ He would never.  _ But Timoteo didn’t give a shit. At one point he wanted to kill all his sons but that wouldn’t bode well with the other gods. So Timoteo decided that the best course of action is to imprison us. It was a mercy he said. He just wanted to use us to make an example. A statement.”

She never see Xanxus this talkative before…

“Something must have happened after we got imprisoned. They told you Timoteo perished with all his sons? Bullshit. Iemitsu must be the one who offed the old coot. He played us all.”

Is there  _ any  _ line Iemitsu wouldn’t cross to get what he wants?

Her scars twinges.

No.

If he learns that the two of them survived, Iemitsu will have them killed. 

“I can’t lose you too,” Tsu sniffed. “Or the villagers. I don’t want anyone else to get hurt.”

“You won’t,” Xanxus says gruffly. 

Something is leaked into the air. It’s not bloodlust. It’s not magic, as far as she can tell. It’s something else entirely. Tsu don’t know what to call it. But it’s  _ something _ .

* * *

The pheasant was delicious. Xanxus cooked it with fire magic. Tsu and the girls marvelled at the sight. Xanxus only recovered enough strength to summon that much fire but Tsu is glad nonetheless. They ate grilled pheasant meat and honey bread for dinner. For the first time in months, she went to bed with a full stomach. 

Her dream that night is even more enjoyable than their luxurious dinner. She dreamed of the villagers going about their day, doing chores with none of the fear. The children are playing with each other with big smiles on their faces. Reborn is there too, teaching the kids how to ride a horse- not his fiery stallion though. Xanxus is not far behind, talking with a group of people Tsu don’t recognise. She likes to think they are Xanxus’s family and comrades before the war. Her nymphs have their original forms back. 

Everyone is happy. Everyone is safe. Everyone is  _ alive _ .

She won’t mind giving up her golden apples for this. And Tsu is not even surprised when the thought crosses her mind. 

* * *

Xanxus is gone when they woke up. 

Tsu and the girls looked everywhere. The apple copse, the river, the woods behind their house where Xanxus like to hunt. They even went to the village. No one had seen him. 

The villagers watched her with sullen eyes. They thought Xanxus had abandoned them. It wouldn’t be the first time a god leave them to their fates. 

_ Xanxus is not like that  _ Tsu want to scream at them.  _ Xanxus know how much it hurts. Xanxus is not his father or mine. Xanxus don’t break his promise. Xanxus is better like Reborn is better. _

They tried to stop her when they saw her heading to the mountain. Tsu struggled and kicked and screamed. 

_“I need to be there for him!” _ Tsu screeched like a harpy. She wasn’t there for Reborn. At least let her be with Xanxus this time. She comes from a long line of warriors. She can pick up a weapon and fight. She blinded Gola Mosca, didn’t she? Tsu can do it again. And again.  _ And again and again and again and again _ _._ If it means everyone will be safe. 

Her girls have flown ahead. They will find Xanxus. Tsu knows they would. 

They didn’t get far enough for her to see them gone. 

The next thing she knew, a red figure appeared on the periphery. 

It’s Xanxus.

It wasn’t until he gets closer that Tsu realise that he is covered in blood from head to toe. Blood had seeped into his clothes. He looked like a nightmare given flesh.

_ A war god. _

The villagers cry out in fear at the sight of him. Then they fell to their knees.  _ Everyone .  _ Even the nymphs land on the ground try to make themselves as small as possible, leaving Xanxus and Tsu the only ones standing. If they had doubts before then this will convince them. 

Tsu has no problem to approach Xanxus. She takes his hand in hers, not caring about the blood. Her brown eyes locked with Xanxus’ red ones. “Gola Mosca?” 

He nods. 

Tsu tightens her hold. 

Xanxus step forward to address the people. Tsu move to his side. 

“I have slayed the Giant,” Xanxus doesn’t shout but everyone heard it loud and clear. “Its’ reign of terror is no more.” Someone let out a cry at that. “There is no need for you to make wine anymore. You can grow anything you want from now on.” 

Everyone is crying now. This time, not from despair or anger. This time, it was from happiness. 

Tsu cried as well. Just a little. 

“Gather your kin and friends. We will meet here in two hours. We have work to do.”

People got up to their feet and run as if their lives depend on it. Tsu can hear them cheering. 

Tsu and Xanxus head back home. Tsu pull him to the direction of the river. They step into the water and didn’t stop until they are Tsu’s waist deep. Xanxus look at the distance, seemingly lost in thought even when Tsu begin to undress him. _‘_ _ He is still in shock,’ _ she thinks. 

She starts to scrub the blood off of him, watching the water turn red. Tsu cup his face and Xanxus close his eyes in response.

“That’s one down,” Tsu whispers. 

Xanxus open his eyes at that, and they are  _ burning _ .

* * *

Gola Mosca’s corpse lies on the cavern floor. Its blood everywhere. There is so much  _ blood _ . Xanxus had been nothing but  _ vicious _ . No less than the monster deserved. Gola Mosca’s last moments were spent in absolute agony and the thought warm her heart. 

Many villagers cried at the sight. Part horror, part disbelief, part joy. The children- yes, they even brought the children,  _ everyone is here _ \- wanted to take a closer look but one  _ look _ from Xanxus stop them on their tracks. He gave order villagers time to get it out of their system before telling them to get a move on.

They take whatever they can get their hands on in this hole. Scraps of wood and metal mostly. They find heaps of animal bones. The wine cellar is ignored. It will take days for them to clear out the place fully. That’s fine. They have time now. They can do whatever they want.  _ They are free. _

Everyone gather once more near Gola Mosca’s corpse. Xanxus lit up a fire in his palm, earnings gasps from his audience. He throws it at Gola Mosca and in an instant the giant is engulfed in flames. Everyone stood there, mesmerized, as the fire eat Gola Mosca’s flesh in a matter of seconds until only the bones left behind. Tsu thought it would be more satisfying if there is no trace of the monster left behind but perhaps Xanxus has another idea.

The villagers hurriedly kneel when Xanxus turn around to face them. Tsu notice their mouths moving. It took her a moment to realise that they are  _ praying .  _

Prayers help sustain the gods. The more believers you have, the greater power you have. Gods don’t necessarily need prayers or believers. Their lives are not tied to them. Case in point: Tsu. She never had followers or prayers in her name. 

But _ this _ ? 

This is the moment where these mortals finally have something, someone to believe in. For the first time in their lives, the gods don’t turn their back on them. 

Tsu locked gazes with Xanxus. She give him the nod. 

_ I’m here. I will be by your side. You’re not alone in this. _

Xanxus turn his attention back to the villagers. He gives them a command. One simple word, but it shook her to the core.

_ “Rise” _

* * *

Xanxus is everywhere.

He spends hours at the smithy to forge hoes and scythes and other tools for farming. He gruffly explain to the apprentices how to make the metal curve. 

He led the adults to the forest to hunt. They brought back a lot of game to feed the village. Sometimes he go all by himself. No one batted an eye anymore when Xanxus return bloodied. Xanxus hunted so much that don’t have to worry about pelts for winter. A pair of goblets carved from boar tusks sit in their cupboard, courtesy of Xanxus.

Xanxus gather the older children and able bodied adults at the edge of the village so they have room for training. The people who live here must be able to defend themselves. Tsu joined the training as well. Compliment is hard won but damn they feel good. Coming from a war god no less. Xanxus take extra care not to hurt the villagers too much since they need every working hand.

After they discussed it with everyone, it is agreed that the Giant’s Hole will be turned into a sanctuary in times of crisis. There is more than enough space for everyone. The insides of the mountain have been turned into a maze by Gola Mosca. Xanxus and a group of volunteers discovered an underground water spring, so water will not be a problem. The doves are helping the group to map out the Hole. Xanxus is to make weapons out of Gola Mosca’s bones. Magic must be involved in the process because the villagers are forbidden to help.

Wood procured from the Giant’s Hole is used to fix the houses. The villagers insisted that Tsu’s and Xanxus’s home get repaired first. They take the opportunity to give them new things. By now their home is no longer the drab place it used to be. The villagers even build a coop for the doves, which the girls appreciate so much.

The vineyards was burned to the ground (courtesy of Xanxus). The new space now allow them to plant whatever they want. Wheat, barley, carrots, onions, garlic, artichoke and many more. Tsu take it as a sign that they are truly moving on from their horrid past. Xanxus is exempted from working on the field, for he is always needed elsewhere. 

Tsu help tend to the field instead. She assists the women to cook. Tsu keep track of their provision, making sure each family receive meat and other food whenever the hunters return. She even set up schedules so Xanxus and the villagers won’t get overwhelmed from all of the activities and changes. The work reminds her of her days at the orchard.

Tsu teach the villagers letters and numbers. The village chief cried when his granddaughter wrote his name on the tablet, even though he can’t read it. Tsu even hold several mock transactions with the adults so they won’t get conned when the time finally arrived for them to make contact with the  _ outside _ . With Gola Mosca gone, there is nothing stopping them from interacting with people from outside the village. Of course, this might also mean that the village must pay tax to the kingdom. At this point, Xanxus and Tsu are more concerned with the village’s ability to care for itself.

Xanxus and Tsu will leave eventually. They had discussed it at length with the village elders. They will stay until they are certain that the village can stand on its own feet. The elders protested at once. They want Xanxus and Tsu to stay with them. 

(Tsu almost cried right then and there. The villagers truly think of her as one of their own. Even when an actual god is standing next to her.)

Xanxus told them point blank that a war between the gods will erupt. Xanxus and Tsu must gather allies, acquire weapons and look for intel. Once the current dynasty learn of his and Tsu’s survival, they will spare no effort to kill them. The village will lose its patron and get targeted as well. 

That shut them up real quick.

In turn, the villagers never fail to pass up opportunities to show their appreciation. In the first few weeks, they gave Xanxus offerings. Mostly meat, fruits, and wood carvings that depict Xanxus. The important point to remember here is that Xanxus  _ loves  _ meat, but he also knows that village have always struggled to feed its people. So here’s what he do. Xanxus will accept the offerings, hold it for a few seconds, and return it to the villagers. The offerings is his. He is free to do as he pleases with them. Xanxus want them to have the food. This way, the villagers don’t get to object. Xanxus get to show that he is not offended. Everyone is happy. 

It makes her a bit envious of her… Housemate? Cousin? Ally? Tsu never receive offerings or prayers before. Heck, she doesn’t even know if mortals know she existed. It’s not their fault. Tsu never did anything to help human cause when she still in possession of her powers. She didn’t guide the mortals out of the darkness, didn’t help any birthing, didn’t punish evildoers. Her entire domain is for the purpose of serving the gods. Her golden apples will always end up in the feast table for the gods. She fill their cups with nectar. What had she ever done to inspire loyalty to mortals? She is not even remotely scary to make them whisper her name in fear. 

She told Xanxus all these when he caught her staring at a wooden figure of himself (no resemblance there but Tsu is just so happy that the villagers now have free time). Tsu assured him that she is not bitter in the slightest. Xanxus has proven himself to the villagers. Why  _ wouldn’t _ they worship him?

The following morning, Xanxus disappear into the forest.

Tsu won’t think much of it if it weren’t for Xanxus messing up the schedules. He will get an earful from her when he returns.

Xanxus return to the village the next day. And he is not empty handed. He brought back with him the skin of a lioness. Its meat have been distributed to everyone. Before Tsu can get a word out, Xanxus kneels. He lay the skin on her feet. 

Tsu tensed at the gesture. 

“An offering,” Xanxus look up to her. “For a goddess.”

Tsu is not a goddess at this point. Not in nature or in name. The skin is wasted on her. 

“I’m not a-a-” Tsu stammers, perfectly aware of the eyes on her. The villagers present to witness this scene begin to whisper to themselves. They still don’t know.

“You are to me,” Xanxus affirms. His eyes  _ burns .  _ If Reborn’s eyes are like twin suns, then Xanxus’s eyes are the blazes of war. “We will restore you to your rightful place. We’ll get Reborn back. We’ll break the magic on the nymphs. We’ll make those scums pay. I swear it.”

Her trembling hands reach out to cup Xanxus’s face. “I can’t kill my parents,” She whispered low enough for him to hear. Overthrow a dynasty of the gods is one thing, but Tsu don’t think she has it in her to kill her parents, even if they never loved her.

“Let me shoulder that burden for you,” Xanxus responds, not at all annoyed.

Tsu take a deep breath. “I understand.”

Iemitsu most likely killed Xanxus’s father. He had a hand in his brothers’ imprisonments. He gave the villagers to Gola Mosca. How much does Nana know? Is she in on it? Or did Iemitsu duped her like he did to everybody else? Xanxus has all the reasons to kill her. Sacred hospitality be damned. Yet here he is, giving her an offering and promise her the heavens. 

Tsu may not have much to offer, but when a divine regime threaten the lives of everyone you hold dear, she will sign up for the rebellion in a heartbeat.

* * *

One year passes...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I have to choose which part of this chapter is my favourite, I'll say that one moment when the doves sat on Xanxus.


	4. iv

The gods speak of mortal beings in the same way they treat them; careless. No one bats an eye when a natural disaster took the lives of hundreds of them. They can always make more after all. Mortals to them are little more than cattle. Something they can play with in all sorts of manner. 

Tsu was once careless like the rest of them. Mortals are not the concern of the princess of the gods beyond the basics. Mortals must obey the gods. Mortals must follow the rites properly. Mortals must work the Earth. Mortals must not challenge the gods. Tsu grew up with that mindset. That Tsu was horrid as she was naive. Xanxus assured her in his own Xanxus way that Tsu is definitely far from problematic as gods go, but Tsu still can’t help but she is not exactly blameless. She benefited from the system. When she was still a goddess that is. 

The villagers did nothing wrong except for being born in this particular village as mortals. They did nothing of the sort that justify Gola Mosca to enslave them. 

Maybe that is why Tsu and Xanxus work so hard to improve the village. They each have a debt for of their own to these people. Xanxus might have feel responsible for his imprisonment indirectly cause the village’s suffering in the last few hundred years or so. 

They exact vengeance on Gola Mosca, burned down the vineyard, made its home their own, use its bones as their weapons, learning to live without the monster. Every trace of Gola Mosca is being erased. Every action they take is a spit at Gola Mosca’s memory.

And they are far from done.

Tsu work on her weave, glancing up from her task every now and then to check if any dove flying towards the window. Xanxus is in his bed napping. For a race with short lifespans, humans are surprisingly patient. Then again, gods’ sense of time is different compared to them. Tsu, both a mortal and a goddess, still struggle with her skewed perception of time. She is young, even by the standards of the gods, but she sorely lack experience in  _ everything _ . 

Like birth, for instance. 

Not baby birds hatching out from their eggs. We are talking about actual birth here. Mother carry baby for nine months. Baby pop out from her body. 

About a few weeks after Gola Mosca’s death, one of the women realised that she is pregnant. News spread quickly. It’s hard to have children around these parts. It’s not uncommon for women to suffer miscarriage or for something to go wrong during the delivery. There is no guarantee that the baby will survive a year. Even children can die from various reasons before they reach the age of ten in this village. The mortality rate in this place is ridiculously high. Tsu immediately took the woman out from the roster. The woman insisted to be included at work but everyone is in the collective agreement that the woman must be cared for at all costs. Xanxus put an end to that argument by casting his godly vote.

_ “If the woman want to work, let her.” _

So there.

They spent the next nine months treating the woman like a particularly fragile ceramic, much to her annoyance. Even Xanxus is concerned in his own way. The woman’s family got better meat than most people whenever Xanxus return from his hunts. The woman asked him to bless the child in her belly. Xanxus refused right away. A war god have no business with pregnant women and births. He won’t even pat the bump. Yet Tsu caught him staring at the woman’s growing belly every now and then.

It’s not just Xanxus though. Tsu is just equally fascinated. She will never forget the moment when she feel the baby kick for the first time. 

_ This is life _

The woman broke her water this morning. The midwife and other mothers immediately pull her inside to prepare. Xanxus and Tsu head home.

They have talked about it with the village elders and the woman’s family. Sometimes a god will come to help if the mortals have difficulty. Not that the village have been given aid by the gods in the past. But they can’t ignore the possibility either. At times Nana would come to the mortal world to help women give birth. They can’t leave it to chance. It is not safe for Tsu and Xanxus to be outside and risk being seen until the baby arrives. The doves will keep an eye on things in the meantime. They will come get Tsu and Xanxus once the delivery is finished.

No one told her it will take  _ hours _ . 

Nana speak of births as a magical experience, be it human or goddess. She didn’t explain to her the process. Tsu then come to the realisation that she never see an actual baby with mouth instead of beak before. This small, human child will be the first babe Tsu lays her eyes on in her lifetime. 

Tsu look out from the window once more. A white blur is heading their way. She recognizes it as one of the girls.  _ Haru .  _

“The baby?” Tsu ask at once when Haru land on the windowsill.

Haru let out a happy coo, wings flapping from excitement. 

“Xanxus!” Tsu dash to Xanxus’s side. “The baby is here!” She throws herself over his middle. 

Xanxus open one eye and mumble something under his breath. He grabbed the back of her dress and easily lift her with just one hand.

_ “Do I even weight anything to you?” _

_ “No. It’s like holding a couple of grapes.” _

The whole village crowd in front of the woman’s house. They all eager to meet the latest addition of their community. When they caught sight of Xanxus and Tsu, the crowd part to let them through. 

The woman sit on her bed with the most precious bundle in her arms. Her family and midwife surrounding her. They all bow their heads in reverence when they see them enter. 

“Congratulations,” Tsu smiles. The new mother smiled at that. “Can we see the little one?”

The mother nods. She shifts the babe in her arms so Tsu and Xanxus can have a better look. “It’s a girl,” She says proudly.

The baby is…. Small. Her eyebrows are so faint Tsu barely missed it. She has reddish skin. The head looks weird. 

She is  _ amazing _ .

So many realisations come to her at once.

One, why this baby is so significant. She is first birth after the end of Gola Mosca. The child will never see Gola Mosca (only his skull they left behind as a reminder of those days). She will never know what it’s like to live and die under Gola Mosca’s thumb. So many things in this world can strike fear in one’s heart. Sickness, bandits, monsters and gods. But this child and others new lives that follow her are  _ free _ and more  _ whole  _ than Tsu and everyone else in this village will ever be. And that’s a  _good thing_ . 

Two, Tsu and Xanxus have been marked by humanity. The mortals taught Xanxus that his powers as war god doesn’t always have to end in bloodshed. The same hands that make weapons can also make hoes. Fire doesn’t always raze everything it sees but keep you warm. The mortals show that they won’t just break at the slightest touch of a war god. That Xanxus has the ability to create something that lasts, regardless of his title as war god and everything that comes with it. Let’s not forget that it was humanity that freed him.

Mortals taught her that her worth does not solely lie on her domain. That she can still take actions beyond her assigned role. That she is still worth something even without magic. Part of her is still driven by the golden apples, but the rest of her are filled with so much more now. Tsu discovered that she enjoys teaching. She experienced for herself how terrible hunger is. How every take of breath can be such a burden but at the same time a wonder. 

Along the way, the mortals saved her. 

Tsu learn what it’s like to be mortal, now that the ichor in her veins is replaced with blood. 

To the villagers she is Tsu. A girl who loved them so much she went to blind the Giant. A girl who teach them how to read and write and count. They respect her.  _ They love her _ _._

Xanxus poke the baby’s cheek. She stirs. Her parents beamed. 

Tsu smooth out the baby’s hair. “What are you going to name her?”

The mother bowed her head. “We want you two to name her, milady.”

“No,” All heads turn when Xanxus said that. “You should be the one to name her.”

The woman is quiet for a moment. Then she lifts chin. “Yako. Her name will be Yako.”

_ Happy child _

Tsu smiles. “That’s a good name.” 

Three, it’s time for them to leave. 

* * *

They leave under the cover of the night. Tsu and Xanxus have long prepared for their journey. They only waited this long for the harvest and for the baby to arrive. Tsu sewed backpacks and waterskins from leather. Xanxus preserved meat for the road. All metals go to the villagers so they have weapons made from Gola Mosca’s bones instead. 

The two of them tidied up the house for one last time. Everything is neatly tucked away. Firewood restocked. Xanxus filled the cupboard with meat jerkies for the next occupant (or someone from the village who wish to get away for a bit.) Lastly, he placed a small knife under the covers.

Tsu, on the other hand, is at the backyard. She split open an apple and took out its seeds. She buried them side by side. It’s a promise she made to no one in particular. 

Xanxus and Tsu walk away from the house, from the village, hand in hand. The nymphs fly overhead. Tsu give one last backward glance. 

She will not cry. She will not. Her and Xanxus had done everything they could to help the villagers. Tsu must trust them to be able to survive on their own. After all, didn’t Xanxus ordered them to? Months ago before the great pyre that is Gola Mosca?

Only this time there is no burning. Only all the peace the night can offer. Gentle wind makes the leaves dance. An owl hoots in the distance. A war god and a fallen princess walk together to the unknown. The world is so dark it's almost black but she is not afraid. There are worse things to fear than darkness. 

The villagers have gone through hell. Little will faze them now. If they can survive Gola Mosca, surely they can survive whatever the gods throw at them next.

_“Rise,” _ Xanxus once said.

_ “ Be,”  _ Tsu whispers.

* * *

Magic will return to the gods eventually.

Reborn likens it to the ocean. Like how waves that subside, you can always count on it to roll back. That’s just how nature is, he told her. Nature abhors void. Xanxus’s magic was stretched to the limit to prevent him from dying while in captivity. It return to him bit by bit as he recovers. Like a seedling growing into a flower. It simply takes time. Xanxus explained to her that the jar which trapped him was imbued with magic to suppress his. The Giants are regarded as skilled artisans because they wield a special kind of magic, their feats impossible to replicate by the gods. 

“How are they different?” Tsu ask Xanxus one afternoon as they make camp.

It took him a moment to consider his answer, “They came from a different place.”

The only Giant Tsu ever saw in her lifetime was Gola Mosca. He never display any sort of magic. Not even when Tsu blinded him. Perhaps a Giant’s magic is a subtler kind of magic. The tales she heard about them usually have the Giants creating magical items. Even their bones hold magic in them. The bones of a Giant are surprising light, and apparently tougher than iron. 

Tsu’s magic only works with golden apples. She had tried to grow grass before. Nana’s domains includes childbirth, so it won’t be that far fetched that Tsu would govern one aspect of life. She discovered that no, her magic can only work on the golden apples. Even her dove speak only extend to exactly that: communication. Tsu can’t make them do anything.

Xanxus have recovered enough magic to put a glamour on himself. And on Tsu, if needed. His scars is not exactly inconspicuous. His glamour make him look like an average sized man (still taller than her) with dark hair and eyes and definitely no identifiable markings on him. His chosen alias is Dieci.  _ Ten _ . For Xanxus is born on the tenth month. 

Tsu pick the name Otome.  _ Maiden .  _ That’s what she is. 

Tsu can’t wait for the day Xanxus recovered enough to fly to arrive. It’s going to be epic. Only few deities are capable of true flight. Even Reborn depend on his burning chariot to achieve flying. Giotto, Ricardo, Timoteo, Xanxus, his brothers and Iemitsu are capable of unaided flight. In theory, Tsu should be able to do the same. Another thing Iemitsu robbed from her when he took away her powers. Tsu is not fully grown yet. Her full power is not realised. Now they will never truly know until they restore her like Xanxus promised. 

She asked him what does he want to happen on the seventh night since their departure. Overthrowing the current dynasty is not that simple. They still need to work out what will happen after that. 

“Someone must sit on the throne,” Xanxus told her. “A power vacuum will lead to more bloodshed as everyone fight to come out on top.”

She can see that. The likes such as Mochida won’t be able to resist the temptation of being the ultimate ruler. Even Kyouya won’t outright refuse. The new status will make it easier for him to bring order into the world. 

But who should they put on that throne?

If they trace their family tree, Xanxus, Tsu and Daniella are eligible for the throne. Xanxus will have the most support for the virtue of being male. They skipped Daniella, didn’t they?

“What makes a god the leader of the pantheon?” Tsu never really question it now that she thought of it. 

“Power,” Xanxus says simply. “They say the lightning bolt can only be wielded by the king so people come to think of it as kingly symbol. But they don’t quite get it. The lightning bolt is the closest thing to pure magic. The sun and moon are another examples. Only certain individuals can control them. Those deities have enough strength in them to match this kind of pure magic.”

Tsu ponder this new knowledge, “So… You’re saying that Reborn is eligible for the throne if he wanted to?” That makes Ryohei and Kyouko are candidates as well. 

“It’s not that simple. The sun and the moon are too different from the lightning bolt. No one can wield two at the same time. Much less three. That’s too much power for one god. The magic of all three will destroy them.”

Tsu look down on her hands. She had been very lucky then. She could have died that day. “So why lightning bolt? Why not the sun? Or the moon?”

Xanxus’s eyes fixed at hers. Tsu swore she saw a flash of red before they change back to black. “The sun and moon come into existence on their own. The lightning bolt, on the other hand, was forged. The sun and moon cannot be controlled. The most we can do is to make sure they stay on course. The lightning bolt was created intentionally. Its purpose is to be controlled. It is to be used solely by those worthy to be kings.”

“So… The king of the gods is the one who can wield pure magic? Or at least the closest thing to it?”

“Hence why they are kings. Only the strongest can hold it without getting hurt. You don’t fuck with them. That’s the general rule.” Xanxus shrugs his shoulders. “Your father must have been drunk when he made you touch the lightning bolt. You were only a baby.”

Tsu was a toddler when it happened but it won’t make any difference for someone as old as Xanxus.

She runs her thumb over the bandages. “So who created the lightning bolt?”  _ Or what. _

“They said it was a Giant. I call bullshit. I was on the other end of the lightning bolt once. I know what it is. No Giant can create something of its caliber. It’s most likely a Primordial.”

“...And if it wasn’t a Primordial god?”

Xanxus stare into the campfire. “Then something that neither mortal nor immortal.”

* * *

Tsu has no desire to discuss about the future after that. She knows that at some point that they will visit the topic again. But… Not now. 

_ Now  _ is already too much. The  _ future  _ is not something she can think of. 

Even so…

Is it really that simple? If you are able to hold the lightning bolt then you are king? To ignore character, accomplishments, past deeds, and everything else? Just like that? It sounds convenient. Too good to be true even. 

Iemitsu is not a good king. Tsu wholeheartedly agree that he must not sit on the throne. The role suited Xanxus once more. Reborn is simply not interested. Tsu is certain he will cave in if there are no other viable options. 

But for someone like Iemitsu to hold the throne… It’s not fair. He didn’t even win the crown. He usurped it. 

Were there any gods who were worthy to be king, Tsu can’t stop herself from wondering.

Ricardo killed every single one of his kin except for Daniella. Timoteo is not a good king, if he willingly turn on his sons like that. He didn’t even relieve his mother Daniella from her post. Xanxus don’t even know if he offered. Highly suspicious. Giotto’s reign was so long ago that even the immortal gods remember little of it. 

Tsu don’t think she will even try to hold the lightning bolt. That leaves Xanxus. He survived the lightning bolt once. Maybe he can hold it? 

Can Daniella touch it? Or the lightning bolt only answer to a male? 

The matter of kings and heirs only give her headaches.

It will be better if the throne is abandoned altogether. 

Right?

* * *

It took them three weeks before Tsu and Xanxus come across the first sign of civilisation after they left the village. Or what’s left of it.

What was once a field of barley is now nothing more than char. What supposed to be golden harvest is now black. No words can describe the desolation. 

No mortal in their right mind would burn the crop field. But it would be no consequence for a god…

_ Ryohei and Kyouko _

Few deities have the power to create damage of this nature. Ryohei and Kyouko are among those select few. 

As they press on, Tsu notice that the dirt path have cracks from the drought. Every plant they passed either blackened or withered. No wild animals at sight. It’s as if they have ran away. 

In the past year, everyone had been observing the sun. The times the sun move erratically have significantly decreased… But Tsu and Xanxus can tell that the new sun gods still have a long way to go. It is expected. How could Ryohei and Kyouko can compare with Reborn and his millenia of experience? 

Looking at this devastating view, Tsu realised that the village had been lucky. Everyone has let out a sigh of relief when the harvest proved successful. They won’t starve until the next harvest as long as they are careful. But the same cannot be said about this place. Who knows how many more fields failed. A famine is guaranteed. 

They send the doves to check the surrounding area. Tsu and Xanxus had lunch while they wait. The girls return about an hour later.

There is a village ahead but not a single soul in sight. 

Tsu and Xanxus pack up their belongings and resume walking.

The village in question is not that far off. The buildings are still standing, for the most part. Only… There are no mortals. Not even livestock. The place is empty.  _ Abandoned _ .

The people must have fled following the destruction of their crops. Who can blame them? To stay here will only mean demise. 

_ Ryouhei and Kyouko did this, even though they never meant to. _

“We’ll stay here for the night,” Xanxus’s voice brought her back to the present. “Pick a house. I’m going to look around.” 

Tsu watch Xanxus walk away with half the doves following him. 

With a sigh, Tsu head to the nearest house. It is much bigger than their old one. Dust has settled on the furniture. Tsu found a jar of honey when she searched the kitchen. No flour available so bread is out. Still, it’s been awhile since they have a roof over their head. It would be a shame to not make the most of it. With that in mind, Tsu tackle her tasks with newfound energy. The girls act as a lookout as usual. 

She doesn’t bother to clean the entire place. They won’t use it for long anyways. The activity is a welcome distraction from… Everything, really. 

Tsu is in the middle of airing out the blankets when Xanxus return. He brought back enough fish for the two of them. Perfect for tonight’s menu. Tsu is thinking soup. Xanxus went to fetch water while she start prepping. The girls fly outside to look for their own dinner. They throw in the fish into the clay pot along with salt and water. Tsu would love to add vegetables but there are none. It will take several hours before its ready. While they wait, Tsu head to the river to wash their clothes. Xanxus went to check out the forge.

Everyone return to the house when the sky turn orange. The soup is just about done by then. The aroma is mouth watering. Tsu pour the soup into two bowls. Xanxus and Tsu sit there in silence, eating their dinner. For the briefest moment, it’s as if they never left the village. 

But this is not  _ their  _ village. 

She feels like an intruder, using someone’s house like this. She knows nothing of the people who lived here. Were they afraid too? Did someone fought to stay behind? Did they pray to the gods? Begging for clemency? 

“Xanxus?”

Xanxus look up from his soup.

Tsu twist the spoon in her hand. “Do you think the people of this village will come back?” 

“If they want to return, they’ll return.”

“...what if they don’t?”

“Then they don’t come back. Simple as that.”

That’s… True. Yet Tsu can’t shake off this heaviness in her heart. Where will they go? To the city? To the neighboring villages? Maybe even the borders? As far as their feet can carry them? What of their supplies? Their safety? Are there bandits on the road? Does any of them know how to use a weapon? Do they have enough money? 

There is no way for them to know. If she worry over every little thing, she will get to nowhere. 

It did little to ease the heartache. 

They don’t talk anymore throughout dinner. 

Tsu about to call it a night when they hear knocking on the door. The sound is enough to put the doves wide awake. Xanxus grab his weapon. The look on his face indicates that he is about to prove just why he is appointed as a war god. He signals for the girls to stay still as the knocking won’t cease. 

Tsu held her breath as they watch Xanxus grab the door handle. 

He swings it open.

A cloaked figure fell to the floor with a loud  _ ‘THUD’ _ .

Xanxus kick the figure to make them roll over. They can hear them groan in pain. The stranger reach out their hand and grab Xanxus by the ankle.

“W-water…,” They rasped. Tsu register that voice as belonging to a male. 

The desperation in his voice got Tsu to move. She grabbed the waterskin. Xanxus looks like he is still deciding between throwing the stranger out or watch her. Tsu kneels next to the stranger. She slides a hand beneath his head and lift. Tsu place the lid on his chapped lips. The stranger drink the water eagerly. His hood come off, revealing a mop of silver hair. He looks young. Maybe around her age.

The skin eventually run out of water. The stranger went limp in Tsu’s arms. His stomach grumbles. 

Xanxus half carried, half dragged the boy inside at Tsu’s urging. Tsu gave him water so they are bound by hospitality now. They made him sit properly before Tsu hand him a bowl of soup. The stranger didn’t just eat it. He  _ inhaled  _ it. 

While the sight make Tsu and the nymphs relax, Xanxus do not let his guard down at all. He glares at the boy as if he had just insulted his mother. The stranger is too caught up with his meal to notice the look Xanxus is sending his way.

The boy swallowed the last of the fish, looking absolutely blissful. “You just saved my life.”

“Everyone would have done the same,” Tsu smiles. Their villagers come to mind. Are they okay? Do they miss them like Tsu misses them? 

The boy looked at her as if she had just told him the best news in his life. Not unlike how the villagers looked at Xanxus after he burned Gola Mosca’s corpse.

Tsu blushed and scoot closer to Xanxus, averting her gaze.

The boy realised that his stare is making her uncomfortable and clears his throat. “You have a nice home.” Xanxus merely look down on him. “Sir.” The youth hastily adds.

Tsu waves her hand. “This isn’t our home. We are travellers like you.”

“Oh,” The boy says softly. He is quiet for a minute before he speaks again. “I haven’t introduced myself. How rude of me. My name is Hayato.”

“My name is Otome,” Tsu lies easily. “And this is my family, Dieci.”

Hayato looks at them back and forth, searching for any resemblance family members would share. Tsu understands, honestly. They look nothing alike. Not even when Xanxus drop the glamour. 

“We’re distant cousins,” She lies once more. Hayato seems appeased for now. “What are you doing around these parts?” 

Hayato’s posture went tense. He can’t look at them in the eye. “Well- That’s…” 

“You don’t have to tell us.” Tsu wonder if this is what the villagers saw when they first saw her a year ago. Lost, full of secrets,  _ young _ .

“No! No!” Hayato shook his head. “You saved my life! I owe you the truth, if not money. I owe you my life.” 

_ I don’t need your life,  _ Tsu wanted to say but she held her tongue. Instead she says; “You don’t have to tell us everything.” Half truths are still better than a lie. Not always, but there is less guilt with that. 

“I lost someone,” Hayato finally said after a few long moments. “I want to get her back.”

_ Get her back .  _ Not  _ want to find her _ . 

“Someone took your mother?”

“Not exactly…”

Tsu hesitates, “She ran away?”

Thankfully, Hayato doesn’t appear to be angry at what she implied. “No.” 

“Then…?”

“She’s in the Underworld.”

Tsu’s breath hitched. The doves open their beaks but no sound comes out. Xanxus stares. 

Hayato’s shoulders begin to shake. “The sun… The famine… The lack of the rain… It drove everyone desperate. They took her when I was away. They… Sacrificed her. To the god of storm.”

Tsu cover her mouth in horror. Blood sacrifice is not unusual for gods. They use animals most of the time. The instances when they use humans are usually cases of blood debt. It’s distasteful but Tsu at least can understand the logic behind it. Revenge is a messy business but if someone were to after Xanxus, Reborn, her girls or any of the villagers, Tsu can relate to the vindication that come with revenge. But this…

“Did…,” Tsu swallows, “Did it rain?”

Hayato’s expression is that of pure misery. “No.” 

She doesn’t know what else to say. She can blame Ryohei and Kyouko until she is blue in the face but Tsu can’t turn back time. What is the storm god even doing? The pantheon as a whole couldn’t possibly be blind or deaf. The storm god could try to balance the sun with plenty of rain. Or make a bunch of cloud to reduce the sunlight. Iemitsu could have done something. No,  _ more _ . 

Hayato’s mother lost her life in vain. None of this is fair. 

Xanxus lean back against his seat. “And?” 

Hayato turns to him. “Pardon?”

“And what do you suppose you will be doing once you get to the Underworld? If you want to die, there are quicker ways.”

“It’s not like that!” Hayato leap to his feet. “I just want to save my mother!”

“How?” 

Hayato stills. The look on his face indicates that he hasn’t thought that far ahead. 

“Resurrecting the dead is not a joke. Only the king of the gods have the authority for it,” Xanxus didn’t mean to be callous for the sake of it. Tsu knows. This is just Xanxus being Xanxus. He is making a valid point though. What does Hayato hope to achieve once he reaches the Underworld? Not even Xanxus knows what’s down there. Reborn never been there either. The sun doesn’t reach the Underworld.

“I’ll take her place,” Hayato says after a long moment passed. “I’ll stay behind if it means she can go back.” 

Is that how it works? Tsu doesn’t think that’s how it works. Once you are in the Underworld, you can’t get out again. You’re stuck down there forever.

Still doesn’t stop Tsu and Xanxus from going in the first place. 

Hayato is going for his mother’s sake. 

Tsu will respect that. 

And judging from Xanxus’s silence, she thinks he understands. 

That was the last bit of talking they do that night.

* * *

Then Hayato got sick. Like, really sick. 

Xanxus explained to her that people who eat after being starved for a long time can get sick. It can be life threatening. He had seen it multiple times when he took part in mortals’ wars. Laws of hospitality bound them in place. They must take care of Hayato until he is better or… 

They are not leaving anytime soon, in any case. 

Tsu stay by Hayato’s side day and night. She only leave to cook or clean the house. Her nymphs take over the watch every time. Xanxus look for food and supplies. 

She found that Hayato is a much more difficult patient compared to Xanxus was. Messier too. He vomited on her dress twice. Tsu had to help him urinate more than once when Xanxus isn’t present in the house. Hayato went scarlet red whenever Tsu undo his cloth. She heard him whisper _“ Let me die” _ once. From the pain or embarrassment, Tsu is not sure.

It’s not his fault though. Hayato didn’t mean to be sick. It’s not anybody’s fault. 

Hayato sleeptalks. Tsu found it useful because it makes it easier to tell if he stops breathing. The girls would alarm her if Hayato deteriorate when she isn’t paying attention but Tsu rather be there right away when it happened. Eventually Xanxus take over the night watch so Tsu can rest. 

Ten days passed before Hayato can get out of bed. He is noticeably skinny from malnourishment and bed rest. Doesn’t stop Xanxus from dragging him outside for exercise. Tsu didn’t join because she has to cook breakfast. The workout leave Hayato looking worse for wear, if that even possible. 

“The boy had experience,” Xanxus told her before Tsu can say anything. They just finished breakfast and Hayato passed out as soon as he hit the bed. “Don’t get me started on the bad habits he has, but the brat has been trained longer than you.”

“Maybe his relatives taught him?”

Hayato never talked about his father or any family members other than his mother, Tsu realised. Maybe the rest of them perished in the famine. 

“There is more to the boy than he let on,” Xanxus says, “We must keep an eye on him.” 

“You think he’s dangerous?”

“When you live long enough you will realise that everyone is dangerous, little goddess.” 

* * *

They had stayed at the abandoned village for 30 days when Hayato is well enough to travel. Xanxus sparred with the boy everyday. Tsu get the sense that he is testing Hayato. Xanxus raise the difficulty each passing day. From what Tsu has seen, she agreed that Hayato fare better than the villagers who only had a year's worth of experience. Judging from the looks Hayato give Xanxus when he thought they weren’t looking, he thinks that Xanxus is not a normal person either. Still, he didn’t ask Tsu nor Xanxus about their past. 

Hayato is under the impression that they will part ways once he recovered. He felt guilty for delaying their journey because he got sick. 

About that…

“Sorry, can you repeat it again?” Hayato pick his ear with his pinky. “I thought you said the two of you will come with me?” 

Tsu nodded. “Yes. We are coming with you. To the Underworld”

“To the Underworld?”

“Yes.”

Hayato gaped at them. And then… “No!” He prostrate to the ground. “I already imposed on you too much! I cannot make you worry even more than this! This is a journey I must take alone! I will not let you sacrifice your lives for-”

Xanxus cut him off. “We’re not doing this for you, brat.”

Hayato look up. “Wait, what?”

“We seek something in the Underworld,” Tsu told him.

“You have a map,” Xanxus adds. 

“But-” Hayato look back and forth between them. “The first night- You-”

“We don’t intend to die,” Xanxus says. “We don’t have time for someone who will throw themselves face first at the first sign of danger.” 

Hayato is speechless. 

“I preserved enough meat for the road,” Xanxus says, “Are we fucking going or not, brat?”

* * *

The Underworld have many entrances. No one knows who created them in the first place. Some believe they come to exist at the same time as the gods. Some believe that the king of the gods opened them so he can have a place to put all the damned gods. The roots of the golden apple trees reach all the way to the Underworld so Tsu is inclined to believe that the Underworld have something to do with the Creation.

If the gods get to be gods because of the golden apples, then the fruits would have been there from the beginning. Right?

According to Hayato’s map, the closest entrance is a volcanic mountain. It’s dormant nowadays. Travellers always swap stories of people getting abducted to the Underworld. Tsu and Xanxus agree that it is merely a cautionary tale for people on the road to be careful. But Hayato doesn’t know that. He insisted to gather firewood first when they make camp. Fire will keep not only wild animals at bay but also monsters.

Xanxus openly snorted at this. 

(Tsu knows that Xanxus keep the fire burn all night with his magic.)

Travelling with the company of ten prove to be interesting. Hayato try so hard to be a gentleman. He always insist Tsu get the better share whenever they have a meal. He always calls for breaks if he notices she is getting tired or offer to carry her. Hayato even try to pet the doves. The girls are not having it but they perch on him on occasion as a show of goodwill. 

Hayato address her as ‘Lady’. He never fails to add a ‘sir’ at the end of his sentence whenever he speaks to Xanxus. 

Hayato is also a good conversational partner. Tsu and Xanxus learn lots of information from him. The famine had spread across the land, affecting dozens of kingdoms. Nowadays, major cities are filled to the brim with refugees. A handful of cities have closed its gates to refugees because they can’t afford to look after everyone. Displaced people resort to banditry. Hayato heard there were skirmishes between certain tribes over food supply. 

Tsu knows that the situation is bad but to hear the actual scale of it… And to think that a war between the gods will start… The mortals will suffer the heaviest blow. There is no point in denying it. Tsu will have blood on her hands. 

After that Hayato hastily change the subject. He ask about Tsu and Xanxus. They give him short, vague answers. The ones they have discussed beforehand if someone were to ask. Tsu and Xanxus are distant cousins (truth). They were chased out from their home after a disagreement with the elders (truth). Tsu and Xanxus are not promised to each other (truth). They don’t tell Hayato what it is they are seeking in the Underworld. Hayato doesn’t push. 

When they are out of topics, Tsu taught Hayato songs she know of. She then ask Hayato of songs from his homeland. Hayato obliged her and sing a sweet yet sad song. 

“My mother sang it to me,” He told them with a sad smile. 

“What was she like?”

“She was a great singer and musician. The best of the land. She taught me lyre. She always told me that I shouldn’t be ashamed of who I am. My mother was the strongest person I know. She was my best friend.”

“Your mother was an amazing woman.”

“She was.” 

Tsu is not sure if she should ask more about Hayato’s mother. So, like a coward, she changed the subject. 

It took them approximately two weeks before they reach the foot of the mountain. The entrance supposedly located at the peak. The mountain looms over them, its shadow cast over the land, seemingly swallow them. The perfect gate to the Underworld. 

“It will be quite a hike,” Hayato comments as he looks on. “A difficult one. It will be hard for you, Lady Otome.” 

Tsu doesn’t reply. She is too busy tying up her skirts. So what if it’s difficult? Since when life is ever easy?

* * *

They are not alone when they reach the summit.

Three robed figures stand before them, as if they were expecting them.

At first Tsu thought that these people are part of a cult, adventurers on a quest, or possibly warriors sent by Iemitsu. Hayato squint his eyes at the strangers to make sure if they are really there. 

Xanxus step forward. “You three.”

The three strangers lift their arms over their heads in perfect unison, as if they are one mind in three separate bodies, and pull down their hoods.

They are women. All of them share the same pink hair, the same dark skin. Black clothes cover their eyes. 

Tsu gasp out loud.

She knows exactly who these people are despite never meeting them before. 

“The fourth son,” One of the women, the one of the left, speak up, “You’ve come at last. And you bring along with you the girl and the halfblood.” 

Hayato stiffens beside her. 

“Fates,” Tsu whispers.

The divine sisters who share the same domain. They have power over destiny. Not even Reborn know their individual names. Everyone simply refer them as ‘Fates’. The sisters can see past, present and future. They decide when one’s course of life ends. Tsu has no idea the true extent of their powers. They never come to the heavens. Not even once. No one ever talked about them. 

But one thing is for sure. No one can escape them. No one can control them. No one can run from destiny. Mortals and immortals submit to theirs. In a way, these sisters are above even the king of the gods. 

If they can decide when someone will die, it’s only logical that the Fates would be near the Underworld. 

“What do you want?” Xanxus asked.

“The balance have been disrupted,” The sister on the right says. “The world will be struck by chaos soon.”

“Obviously. Again, what do you want?” 

The middle sister open her mouth, “All of you are meant to play a part in the upcoming conflict.” 

This time, Tsu glance at Hayato. Even him too? Is their meeting not a coincidence? Is it actually possible for a mortal like Hayato to influence the war of the gods? 

Tsu look back at the Fates. The black clothes over their eyes made it impossible to tell which direction they are looking at. Do they appear like this to Timoteo in the past? Or to Giotto and other previous kings? Is this a portent? It feels like one to Tsu. These sisters… They give off a weird feeling. 

The nymphs gather around Tsu’s feet. Their feathers all ruffled from discomfort. Tsu wish she can bend down and scoop all of them in her arms but she can’t afford to take her eyes off the goddesses. 

“The Underworld is full of danger and temptations. One slip and you will be bound to it forever,” The sister on the left speaks. 

The three of them open their mouth at the same time, _ “Beware.”  _

Tsu blinks and the sisters vanished.

An awkward silence fell to the group.

“Oooookay. That was weird,” Tsu says to no one on particular. Not her best moment. 

Xanxus turn to face them. “Seers. They rarely make any sense.” 

“T-Those women- They are the Fates? The  _ real ones _ ?” Hayato look at them with wide eyes. Those three goddesses definitely have left an impression on him.

“They’re the real deal,” Xanxus confirms. “Come on. We wasted enough time.” 

Hayato looked boggled by Xanxus’s easy dismissal of the goddesses. “We’re not going to talk about what just happened?”

Xanxus already turns his back on the boy, “No.” 

Tsu give Hayato an apologetic smile before she and the girls rush after Xanxus. 

According to Hayato’s story, the entrance to the Underworld is near a lake. The lake supposedly formed after an eruption in the past. It doesn’t take long for them to find the lake, and the actual entrance itself.

The entrance is easily hidden by the thick bushes and surrounding overgrowth. It was Tsu who found it first. She didn’t see it, but she can feel its magic. It’s not like anything she’s ever felt before. Judging by how Xanxus’s eyes flashed red when he first look at it, he feels the same way. 

The entrance look more like a hole than a cavern. Tsu think it looks like a mouth. Xanxus kick a stone into the black depth. They strained their ears to hear the sound of stone fall. It never came. 

“Last chance to turn back now,” Xanxus says. 

Tsu look into the black void and she suddenly felt very afraid. Last time she survived because of Reborn and sheer luck. The Underworld is not Iemitsu. Not Gola Mosca. Not hunger, cold or cuts. She is looking at Death itself. People try their damnest to run away from their death. Tsu is heading straight towards hers. 

Her eyes start to burn. Tsu has never been so scared in her life. She doesn’t want to die. Tsu still want to live. But the golden apples… Reborn… The villagers… They will die sooner than later if Tsu don’t go. But she is not ready to die.

But she did ready to die, didn’t she?

When they went after her nymphs, Tsu is ready to die with them. Why is this any different?

Something cold envelop her hand and Tsu turn to see Hayato. His hand is cold from the nerves but he has a look of resolution in his eyes. 

She feel Xanxus reach for her other hand next. His hand dwarved hers. 

“As if we’re going to make their job easier for them,” Xanxus says as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. 

It’s different now. This is not like last time, when it’s just her and the girls against the world.

One of the nymphs, Haru, perch on her shoulder and nuzzled her cheek. 

“I’m okay,” Tsu breathed out,  _ “I’m okay.” _

They all will be fine. 

Tsu look back at the hole and stick her foot out. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hayato has joined the party.
> 
> I can't resist the B99 dialogue.
> 
> Underworld Entrance is based on Lake Avernus.
> 
> I posted a doodle of what Tsu looks like in my tumblr @chococococya

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading
> 
> Please leave a review
> 
> NO FLAMES


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